


Reborn

by Desparado



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25307752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desparado/pseuds/Desparado
Summary: As one of SHIELD’s best agents, you go on a mission to find a HYDRA faction who are using a trafficking ring as a front. When the mission goes horrifically wrong, you find yourself at their mercy and can only pray for rescue. One thing is for certain- after that day, you will never be the same again.(Set after Age of Ultron but before Civil War)Reader is gender neutral so everyone can readEach chapter will have its own warnings.
Relationships: Avengers Team & Reader, Avengers Team/Reader, Wanda Maximoff & Reader, Wanda Maximoff/Reader
Comments: 33
Kudos: 89





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Mentions of parental death

**Agent file:** Y/L/N (formally Vogel); Y/N 

**Date of Birth:** Classified 

**Date of Recruitment:** Classified 

**Physical Evaluation:** Y/l/n passed the physical exam within top 90th percentile, excelling in strength and combat. Miscellaneous skills includes motorcycle riding, freeclimbing, skydiving and free running. During the stress test, Y/l/n was able to push themselves further than other agents of similar stature and thus exceeded test requirements. Medical exam was clear. 

**Psychological Evaluation:** Y/l/n passed the psychological exam within the top 90th percentile, excelling in strategic thinking and emotional intelligence. During the stress test, is was clear that Y/l/n has unresolved anger which, although can hinder one’s decision making, was being used by Y/l/n to push themselves further. This may warrant regular assessment as can escalate if left unchecked.  
Y/l/n’s family background has no doubt affected their ability to connect with others, as Y/l/n has been hesitant to communicate with fellow agents outside of professional boundaries; however they have higher level emotional intelligence than most of their peers, which may be due to the childhood trauma (See attached news article).  
During final assessment, Y/l/n gave little comment on the death of their parents, except that the tragic accident is what spurred them to join SHIELD: “I wanted to continue my mother’s legacy in my own way; she died whilst saving my life and I want to honour that. I have no comment on my father’s actions.” (Y/l/n, Final P.A, time code 07:35)  
Overall, Y/l/n has been cleared for all missions up to and including covert operations; however, due to their emotional instability, this evaluation concludes that solo ‘covert’ missions should be avoided where possible. 

**Attachment:**

#### FAMILY TRAGEDY LEAVES ONE SURVIVOR 

Residents of (your hometown) are in mourning today after a house fire kills all but one family member. 

During the early hours of the morning, emergency services were called to (your street) as smoke began coming from the Vogel family home. Witnesses then reported a loud bang before the building then rapidly caught fire, seconds before Y/n (age 5) was seen running out of the house and into the street. Mrs Elton (Neighbour opposite the residence) first witnessed the event: “I was woken up by lots of screaming and looked outside my window to see the smoke coming from their kitchen- that’s when I called the fire department. Then I went outside to see if anyone was home and that’s when I saw the little one limping out of the house- the poor thing looked so dirty- and before I know it, there was a loud bang and whole house burst into flames!” 

During a press conference outside the building, police confirmed the deaths of Sarah and Eric Vogel and informed reporters that Y/n Vogel was being treated for smoke inhalation. 

The police and fire departments are yet to comment on the source of the blaze, however sources informed us that police had been called to the house earlier that night for a domestic disturbance. The investigation is still currently ongoing. 

**– End of File –**


	2. Operation Fly Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple mission to gather information and confirm its validity... sounds easy, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mentions of blood and injuries

Listening carefully, your eyes couldn’t help but flick next to you at Deputy Director Hill from time to time, watching her react to what Agent Rhodes was saying. He was the intelligence officer who had been assigned to this project almost 2 years ago and was now providing you with every bit of information he had gathered. It was a human trafficking ring that was suspected to be a HYDRA faction, using innocent people as guinea pigs in their sadistic experiments or as weapons mules to spread their ‘goodwill’ to other terrorists. Rhodes’ intelligence had led to Poland- where he believed they had set up a main operating base.  
“So where in Poland is this base, agent?” Fury’s voice called from your left as he sat in his chair leaning against the large desk. Agent Rhodes became obviously nervous and was clasping his hands together, “We, er, we don’t know. The intel stops there.” You heard Fury huff from his seat and you were beginning to wonder why you had been called to this meeting in the first place. “Do we have any actionable contacts?” Maria asked before taking a sip of her water. “Yes ma’am.” The agent replied, “A contact codenamed Bison who resides in Warsaw. He is a former arms dealer and we believe he will be able to tell us where it is, but he only operates on a face to face basis. We need to send someone to get the intel and then confirm it.” He looked at you when he finished his sentence and it became all too clear what your purpose was now. You shuffled in your seat and crossed your legs, “Fine. So I go to Warsaw, make contact with Bison and then go to the location to check it’s real. When do I go?” Maria was about to answer when Fury’s door opened and Steve Rogers walked in, surprising all of you. “Holding out on me, Director?” He asked, eyes focusing on Fury. Looking at his facial features you could see the hint of a snarl in his mouth but his eyebrows were drawn upwards slightly, like he was surprised. Fury stood up and walked over to him and you glanced over at Maria before looking back. “You weren’t invited to this party.” Fury retorted, his back towards you and blocking your view.  
“A potential HYDRA location and you don’t want me to know about it? After what happened with Pierce?” There was anger laced in Steve’s tone.  
“I owe you nothing Rogers, this mission is on a need to know basis and quite frankly- you don’t need to know.” Fury turned and walked back over to his desk, sitting on the corner of it as Steve met your gaze. His eyes flicked over your frame and he gave you a small, respectful nod. “So what can Agent Y/l/n do that the Avengers can’t?” He queried, this time his tone was more polite, despite his wording. You all looked for the answer in Agent Rhodes who no doubt was wishing he didn’t wake up this morning. He cleared his throat and shakily played with his tie, “Well, Captain, Directors, with the Avengers being so well known, I concluded that a different agent should go to Poland, someone who could easily slip under the radar. And with their mission history, Agent Y/l/n seemed the perfect choice.” He gave you a quick, thin smile before looking at the ground and you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “Fine.” Fury stated as he moved to sit in his chair. “Transport will be arranged for you at 06:00 hours tomorrow. Good luck, Agent Y/l/n.” Getting up from your seat, you nodded at him before leaving the room, offering Rogers a quick smile on the way out.  
As you walked down the corridor heading for the science department, a voice called your name from behind and you knowingly turned around. “Deputy Director.” You greeted her as you stood by the stairs.  
“Y/n,” She began, the use of your first name telling you this wasn’t a professional conversation, “I don’t think you should do this.”  
“Why not?”  
“This is dangerous, we have no active safe houses in Poland, you’ll literally be on your own out there-”  
“I’ll be fine Maria; I’ve done this plenty of times before.” You replied with a smile as you went to turn away.  
She grabbed your wrist, “Y/n, ‘solo covert missions should be avoided’-”  
“Yeah- ‘where possible’. I appreciate your concern but please stop throwing an old eval in my face and let me do my job.” You were a little blunt as you spoke but Maria knew you well enough to know it wasn’t malicious. She took a large breath and let it out, “Okay, but please- any sign of trouble and activate the SOS.” She let go of you and watched as you smiled at her before walking down the stairs.  
“It’s going to be fine, Maria!” 

It wasn’t fine. It was far from fine. You cursed yourself a hundred times over as you ducked behind a steel pillar and reloaded your gun before checking the wound on your right arm. Getting to Warsaw was easy, once there, all you had to do was find a tall, stocky Russian man with a lust for diamonds. This only took a day and by the following morning you had a location as well as a name: Doctor Franks, or Frankenstein as he was called by those in the know; a German geneticist recruited by HYDRA, presumedly for the torturous methods and super soldier experiments. A blast behind you snapped you back to reality and you whipped around the corner of your hiding spot to shoot the two men that had entered through a hole in the wall, killing them both. You held your breath and kicked against the pillar to run across the large empty room and towards the double doors in front of you. Suddenly a sharp pain shot up your left leg and you fell, rolling across the bumpy, wooden floor like a discarded stone. You groaned loudly, from the surprise more than the pain, and quickly turned to face the oncoming attack. You were glad you had already told SHIELD where you were headed, informing them to storm the location if they didn’t hear from you in the next 12 hours, but oh how you wished hard that you didn’t go through that red door. 

Bison had informed you that the base was under an abandoned warehouse, hundreds of miles spanning the depths underneath Lodz like a city for Satan. When you arrived outside the building, it looked close to collapsing on itself as beams dangled precariously from the ceiling and parts of the floor below were either missing or badly damaged. Disused machines lurked in corners of rooms and extended across vast stretches of workspace. The air was damp and dusty, and you tried to avoid breathing it in as you scanned the dark, grey and musty brown rooms… until you saw it. Sticking out amongst the decay like a cow amongst fish: A red door. It was metallic, the blood red colour painted on. Gun in hand, you’d cautiously approached the door and slowly turned the handle, wincing when it squeaked and cried out like a weakened man being forced to stand once more. You peaked inside before entering, seeing nothing but empty space, the only light shone through a broken sky light. Through the stream of sunlight, you swore you could see something at the end of the hall, and carefully walked around the light where it hit the floor. Approaching the other end, you took in the large wooden chair-like frame, metal wires protruding at various angles and the mostly decomposed skeleton that sat in the middle. Before you could gasp, you were startled by a gunshot and felt searing pain in your right arm. That was when you realised you had walked into a trap. 

And that was how you found yourself here, trying to put pressure on the hole in your leg as blood began to ooze out of it, whilst a slender man dressed in black approached you. He seemed to have no weapons on him as he had his arms folded, stepping closer and closer. You quickly felt for your gun on the floor by your side, but only grasped at dust. When you looked around, you realised your weapon was a few feet away. “Don’t be so silly my child.” The man called, as he continued to stalk towards you. When he stepped into the light, you noted his thin brown hair, dark eyes and the scar down the right side of his face. He smiled at you, like a tiger would smile at a mouse, before he then stood still. Behind him, multiple men came into view- all dressed in full combat gear, with a small HYDRA symbol on their chests- and two of them approached you. Trying as hard as you could, you fought them off until one of them hit you hard at the back of your head. Your vision blurred slightly from the impact and you suddenly felt yourself floating as the men hoisted you off the floor and towards their leader. His smile widened to show his teeth as he then unfolded his arms and examined you. “My my, you are a glorious specimen.” His fingers stroked your cheek and you snapped your head to bite him, succeeding in breaching the bare skin of his index finger. He yelped in pain and one of the men hit you again. “And a feisty one too!” He continued, sounding impressed, which only disturbed you further. With his other hand, he gripped your chin hard and forced you to look at him. His gaze flicked between your eyes in fascination and you mustered all the courage you could to give him nothing in return. The soldier on your right took a breath, “Do we take them downstairs, sir?” The leader stared at you a little longer before releasing your chin.   
“No- we’ve been compromised. Prep the vehicles, we need to leave in 10 minutes.” He turned to the men behind him who all stood to attention and ran back towards the hole in the wall, shouting in their radios. “What do we do with the intruder?” The other soldier asked and your blood froze. The leader glared at him then looked down at you, a smirk appearing on his face. “Sedate them and put them in the truck, I think we may have found what we’ve been looking for.”


	3. Phönix 513

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since being taken by Doctor Franks, you have prayed for either death or escape. After what feels like years of torture and experimentation, someone finally answers you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Steve; Nat; Sam; Wanda; Reader is gender neutral so everyone can enjoy
> 
> Warnings: Descriptions of torture and injuries (Nothing too explicit but please be careful my lovelies)

“Switch on the machine.” His voice called from the corner where he lurked. You heard a clunk which was followed by the intense, excruciating pain that was now a familiar part of your day, or night, or whatever the time was. A howl clawed its way out of your chest but remained in your throat as the electricity they pumped you with clenched your jaw as well as every muscle in your body. This was one of his favourite tests, you’d lost count how many times you had been subject to it. Your throat felt like it had been slashed to shreds by the time they shut off the machine; then your body collapsed against the chair you were strapped in and your lungs desperately tried to recover some air. As you managed to slowly regain your breath, he finally stepped forward into the light, running his hand through his brown hair as he stood in front of you. The doctor ducked down to your eye level and beamed at you as he spoke to his assistant, “Make a note: Phönix 513 is once again recuperating faster after each shock; which is currently at 35 milliamps.” As he leaned ever closer to your face, you took the opportunity to flick your head forward and headbutt him in his nose. He cursed you as he stood up straight, blood slowly dripping from one nostril. You grinned at him- despite the plastic guard they had shoved in your mouth- as he then turned to the scientist next to you, “Take it up to 50 milliamps.” He glared at you before backing away into his corner again. “Let’s see if you’re still smiling then.” You heard the clunk and was shocked again but it was different this time. Your whole body contracted, and you felt like you were on fire. Your heart was pounding in your ears and that’s when you felt a warm drip inside them which seeped out and down your neck. You couldn’t howl. You couldn’t scream. The pain ripped through you like a hurricane and you prayed for it all to end; just as you suddenly felt very lightheaded and the agony faded into nothing. 

“Doctor Franks, we have a situation- the Avengers are here.”  
“Get some men in this room, we cannot let them let take 513.”  
A deep boom echoed above you and the light in your vision flickered. With as much energy as you could muster, you fluttered your eyes open and watched the lightbulbs in the ceiling dim and almost go out. You were about to close your eyes again, assuming it to all be a dream, when you heard the boom again, this time louder and followed by screams. This wasn’t a dream. You scanned the area around you, seeing nothing but the empty cell they had been keeping you in, and three guards posted at the door. Three? You looked again and counted- yes three. Normally there was one- if any- which told you something big was going on. Taking a deep breath, you rolled onto your front- groaning as the cold steel floor pushed into all of your bruises- and you released your breath as you landed on your chest. Shaking, you placed your hands flat on the ground either side and tried to push up. Nothing. You tried again, managing to get into a plank position, but your legs were too weak to move and you collapsed, hissing at the pain. You turned your head to look at the guards, all three of them were restless and clinging to their weapons, then your eyes closed as exhaustion and malnourishment took over.  
A scream startled you awake, followed by gunfire and more flickering lights. Then there were muffled voices on a radio followed by the jangling of keys. Just as you were going to open your eyes, you heard a key turning in a lock and the hinges on your cell door screeched open. Footsteps came towards you followed by rough hands which hauled you off the floor. At this point you opened your eyes and realised you were being dragged out of your cell by two of the guards, whilst a third one stared at one of the exits, his eyes wide with fear. As they got closer to the only other exit in this holding, the ‘watch-out’ guard shouted and then began shooting towards the other door as something small and red flew in. The soldiers that were holding you let go and began shooting at the intruder. Your body hit the floor with a painful thump and you tried to get yourself back up, managing only to reach a sitting position. After a few seconds you heard small whizzing noises like tiny bullets and the three soldiers all dropped to the floor. Silence. You looked up, struggling to hold your head upright, and could see a figure walk into the room- directly towards you. “I got ‘em.” The male voice said as he came closer and knelt down in front of you. It took a while before your eyes could focus, but soon they recognised the red goggles and charming smile. “Falcon.” You croaked, hardly above a whisper as you hadn’t used your voice box in so long. “Hey I got you, alright?” He gripped your upper arms and pulled you up, but as soon as you put weight on your legs, they gave out from underneath you. Luckily, you fell forward into Falcon who maintained a firm grip on you. “Er guys I need more time, we’re not exactly gonna be sprinting back.” He called out, you assume, to his team as he wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you up. You gripped the top of his wing pack for balance as he guided you back out the way he came. Each step was like walking on glass but you persevered if it meant freedom. 

After making it down a corridor and towards a very old looking freight elevator, Falcon leaned you against the wall as he quickly pulled the door open. Walking you both inside he pressed one of the buttons- but it didn’t work. He cursed under his breath as he pressed it again, harder this time. Again it did nothing. You heard shouts ahead of you and saw a group of men stalking towards you from the other end of the corridor. Fear gripped your heart as it wildly beat against your chest, an unfamiliar sensation rising. Falcon moved you to his other side, and your foot slipped causing you to fall into the elevator wall. As you did, your hand slammed near the control panel and it whirred into life. The elevator began to rise just as the men caught up, shooting at you as Falcon fired back with weapons on his suit. After what felt like an eternity of silence, the elevator halted and Falcon pulled the door open before holding your waist again and guiding you out. As you looked around, this corridor was littered with bodies of soldiers and the lights were barely working. Reaching a junction, running footsteps were heard coming from the right adjacent corridor and Falcon tugged you both against the wall. Then he heard a short whistle and you saw his body relax before he walked you towards the sound. Now in the centre of the junction, he turned to the right and nodded at a tall man in a blue suit as he approached you. “Captain.” You greeted him, still as croaky as before. He gave you a quick smile and replaced Falcon as your crutch.   
“We’re ready to go- Nat?” He called into his earpiece.  
“I’m right here Cap.” A voice replied from the corridor behind you. You saw Black Widow come into view as she ran to meet you all. “I was followed, three or four of them I think.” She informed the Captain, just as the sound of footsteps and grunting began to echo towards you. The super soldier quickly tugged you onwards as Falcon and Black Widow backed up from behind. 

After marching down a barely held together corridor, you were soon out in the open and had to blink continuously against the harsh, bright light. The smell of earth and fresh air hit your nose and flooded your system like a drug, overwhelming your senses and causing your body to go limp. “Stay with me Y/l/n!” The Captain shouted at you as he tried to pull you onto your feet again. Falcon held you on the other side and together they pulled you towards the awaiting transport. You could see a figure standing by the open hatch, dressed in red and arms folded. Suddenly there was an eruption of gunfire and Falcon let go of you to fire back. “Wanda- take them!” Captain Rogers shouted as he quickly laid you on the floor and protected your body. Not a moment later, you felt yourself being pulled along the floor- the grass gently stroking your back. Looking around, you noticed a red mist surrounding you, protecting you from stray bullets as you floated towards the quinjet. Your adrenaline was wearing off and you felt the exhaustion kicking in once again. Your body landed on something firm but soft and you felt cool fingers on your forehead. Glancing upwards, your gaze found iridescent red eyes that slowly changed to mossy green; eyes that seemed to smile at you as they scanned your face. You summoned all the energy you had to keep gazing into those eyes, the colour so vivid yet calming, reminding you of camping trips and hiking in the mountains. Eventually your body began to shut down and those beautiful green eyes blurred and faded into darkness.


	4. Out of Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of your rescue, a fear you had long held is confirmed and a crucial decision needs to be made… but you’re not the one to make it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Maria x reader (platonic); Wanda; Nick Fury; Reader is gender neutral 
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of use of a scalpel/needle; Swearing; Angst; Fluff I guess?

You were stirred awake by a steadily beeping machine. Slowly opening your eyes, you were blinded by the stark whiteness of your surroundings and a soft grunt formed in your throat. There was a shuffling noise on your left, “Y/n?” You recognised the voice instantly and turned your head, opening your eyes further this time, and was grateful to see a smiling brunette in a dark suit with her hair tied back. “Deputy director.” You greeted her, voice still raw, causing her to reply with a breathless laugh, “My god y/n, are you okay? How are you feeling?” She placed her hand on your arm as she spoke. You grunted again, this time the sound was stronger, “Like shit. Where am I?”  
“Your favourite place in the world.” Maria answered sarcastically, just as the door in the far-right corner opened and Dr. Cho walked in followed by an assistant. “Ah Agent Y/l/n, glad to see you awake.” She smiled at you as she approached a small monitor on your right and began assessing your charts. The silence gave you a chance to look around, the blank walls and hi-tech equipment surrounding you confirmed Maria’s earlier statement; but this place was a spa compared to your most recent residence. You continued to watch Dr Cho as she moved around the room, her assistant moving to your right side with a covered-up tray on a small table. “Your results are looking good, but I’m not too happy with your heart function so we’ll take some blood samples and possibly…” The doctor was still talking but you were no longer listening. A reflection had caught your eye as she spoke and now you were staring at the tray of tools in front of her assistant. Needles, vials, all typical medical kit; but it looked oh so similar to…  
_Suddenly you were back in Doctor Franks’ lab, strapped to your chair. A heart monitor was recording your increasing anxiety as he neatly placed his favourite ‘instruments’ on the table next to you before picking up a scalpel, “We are now recording. Pain threshold test number 2 with Phönix 513.” He looked over to the camera he had been talking to before then returning his gaze to you, scalpel poised over your right inner forearm. “Let’s see how you do this time.” He sneered as he then slowly pressed the blade into your flesh…_  
Dr. Cho’s assistant held your arm and inserted the needle when you screamed. Without warning, all the electrical equipment in the room flickered violently and shorted out; the lights above you exploded. You were still screaming and trying to escape your mind as Maria leapt from her seat and held your shoulders firmly, desperately shouting your name as Dr Cho attended to her assistant who was on the floor, unconscious. You felt a sharp pain arise in your chest as your heart pounded rapidly. Fatigue soon claimed your body as it went limp in Maria’s arms and you drifted back into the darkness. 

You woke up with a gasp and it took a while to slow your breathing and remember that you were safe. Once you had calmed down, you looked around the room but didn’t recognise it. There was no hi-tech equipment, no harsh bright lights- it was a small square room with one light above you, the only things in it were you and the simple mattress you were laying on. You sat up, groaning at the bruises all over your body as well as the muscle ache from who knows what. There were no windows, no clocks, only a thick white door with a small window at head height. Then you noticed the security camera on the wall above it, and you were convinced you could see it moving. You took a slow breath then steadily rose to your feet- hand leaning on the wall- and shuffled over to the door. Peering out the window, you saw a long dark corridor with a few more doors like yours along each side and a string of industrial lights on the ceiling leading down to grey double-doors. Your eyes widened when you remembered what had happened back in the medical room and you all at once realised where you were. Shame wrapped itself around you as you wandered back over to your mattress and practically fell down, burying your head in your hands, tears dropping onto the concrete floor at your feet.  
Sometime later, you heard footsteps walking down the corridor. Two- no three- sets of them as they got closer. You heard the door unlock and didn’t look when it slowly opened and one set of footsteps walked in. You could sense them move towards you and set themselves down on the floor by your feet. “Agent y/l/n?” The presence called in a Sokovian accent. Curiosity made you look up and your jaw almost dropped when you were met with a sympathetic smile and gorgeous mossy green eyes. “I don’t think we’ve met properly, I’m Wanda.” She spoke softly, her voice husky and soothing. “I’ve been speaking to the directors and they would like me to have a chat with you, if that’s okay?” You looked over to the door, seeing Maria and Director Fury standing just outside, then glanced back at Wanda and nodded. She smiled, “Good. Now I don’t know about you, but this room doesn’t scream comfort, so why don’t we go to one of the briefing rooms-”  
“That’s not a good idea.” You mumbled, noting the surprise on her face.  
“Why not?”  
“Because I’m… dangerous.” You confessed, knowing that was precisely why you were now in one of SHIELDs most secure holding rooms, several floors below ground and reserved only for the violent or ‘enhanced-beyond-control’. Wanda looked over at Maria and Fury before looking back at you, but you spoke first. “Are they dead?”  
“Who?” She asked, her eyebrows furrowed.  
“Dr Cho’s assistant. Did I kill them?” You looked deep into her eyes to look for the truth and could feel your eyes watering. Wanda stared at you for moment before answering, “No. They’re alive.” You looked away from her and sighed in relief, squeezing your eyes shut before looking at the floor. “I knew they did something to me… I just didn’t expect this.” You took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. “How long did they have me for?” Wanda’s eyes widened at your question,  
“You… you don’t know?” You scoffed at her and shook your head,  
“They didn’t exactly feel the need to keep me informed. What was it? A month?” You saw her swallow hard and look over at Maria and Fury. Following her gaze, you were surprised to see Maria biting her thumb- her tell when she was upset- and you scrunched your face, “Maria… how long was I gone?” She didn’t answer you; her hand was shaking now and you were growing impatient. Luckily, Director Fury spoke up.  
“Thirteen months.” Your jaw dropped.  
“Thirteen… months? Over a year!?” You asked, glancing between all three of them, before receiving a nod from Fury. Anger began to bubble up in your chest, “Are you fucking kidding me? I gave you the exact location and told you come after 12 hours of no contact… did you lose track of time or something?”  
“By the time we got there, you were long gone.” Maria finally answered, “So was Bison. It took us months to track him down and bring him in and then weeks before he finally gave us a lead-”  
“That’s fucking pathetic!” You shouted as you stood up despite the pain. Wanda quickly rose and took a step back. Maria straightened her posture and Fury moved slightly in front of her. Your anger was boiling over and it came with a sensation that was becoming familiar to you. The light above you flickered slightly but you refused to look up. “Do you know what they did to me?” You asked her, practically snarling at Maria as you pushed the memories back. “Do you have any idea what tests and games they put me through to satisfy their sick curiosities?” Tears had now formed in your eyes. Maria couldn’t look at you anymore, instead opting to look at the floor. You felt a light touch on your shoulder which made you flinch and move away- you glanced over to see Wanda looking at you, “I do. I don’t know how much you know about me, Agent Y/l/n, but I was taken by HYDRA too. And believe me when I say that everyone at SHIELD- especially Deputy Director Hill- worked around the clock to find you and bring you back.” Wanda’s calming tone was somehow easing your anger. Her eyes showed nothing but genuine concern, eradicating the last of your rage as you clenched and unclenched your fists and took a breath. Deep down, you knew Maria would have handled every lead and piece of intel personally to make sure it got you home; no doubt exhausting all privileges and pushing her limits with Fury. Looking over at her, you met Maria’s gaze and felt a wave of emotion. “I’m sorry.” You managed to say. She looked at you and flashed a smile, you could tell she was trying not to cry. You lifted your arms slightly towards her, “Can I?” You asked. She nodded vigorously and quickly moved to wrap her arms around you in a tight and confirming embrace. You apologised to her again as you held her and let the tears fall, thanking her for not giving up on you and for bringing you back. She’d recruited you in the first instance and after several missions together as a successful duo, she became your partner-in-crime, your best friend. That didn’t change when she was promoted to Deputy Director. 

Euphoric memories flashed through your mind and you had never been so grateful to be alive. But once again, you felt the strange sensation building up and you quickly let go of Maria, just as a static shock passed between you, making her yelp. “I’m sorry, I don’t know how it-”  
“It’s fine.” Maria reassured you before turning to Fury. “We need to find out more about Y/n’s powers and how they work. Let’s bring Dr. Banner in to provide some scientific insight. Maybe Miss Maximoff-” She turned to Wanda. “- can provide her own expertise on the matter as well.” Wanda nodded at her and then looked at you with another kind smile, you couldn’t help but feel a smile your face too. Then Maria looked at you, “There may be some tests or scans involved, will you be okay with that?” You nodded at her. “Good. Sir I don’t see any reason why Y/n should stay in here any longer. Perhaps we can give her a room in the Avengers private quarters?” You all looked at the director who had been silently watching. His body language and facial expression were hard to read, but he was known to be a little controversial, so you had idea of what his response would be. “I agree,” He finally declared, “But Agent Y/l/n is to remain isolated until we can at least get an idea of what we’re dealing with. Agreed?” He looked directly at you this time and you couldn’t help but feel intimidated.   
“Yes sir.” You answered firmly.  
He backed away from the door and Maria indicated for you to walk out with her; but after what you now knew to be 13 months of torture and limited movement, you could feel your body seizing up and growing tired, so instead you apologised and asked for some help as you shakily sat yourself down on the mattress. Wanda offered to find assistance, looking in your eyes a little too long before she left the room. Fury received a call and then excused himself, leaving Maria to stay with you. After a moment of silence, she began explaining everything- from the moment they realised you were gone up to tracing you to an underground bunker in Serbia. It was months of following every lead and raiding every base, not resting until she found you. You asked about Franks and she admitted that the Avengers didn’t find him, assuming he’d hidden under whatever rock he previously came from. At this point Maria asked what had happened to you, but you quickly ended the conversation, not ready to open up that particular box. 

By the time help came in the form of a SHIELD agent and a wheelchair, Maria’s conscience was clear and you had a lot to reflect on. Although you didn’t know what was going to happen now, you knew that this was only the beginning and it would be a lie if you said you weren’t scared.


	5. Three Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You take your time to quietly reflect and catch up with the rest of the world, whilst Wanda starts to think about you more and more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Slight angst, fluff

Once you left your cell, Maria led you over to the Avengers private quarters- a large complex protected by trees and separated from the rest of the compound. Reaching the main entrance, you saw Captain Rogers and Falcon as they were about to start jogging. When you greeted them, they introduced themselves properly and insisted you use their first names; then Sam asked how you were recovering. It was a short conversation in which you made sure to thank them for saving you before they let you and Maria inside. The main entrance opened to a large glass hallway, both sides showcasing the many vehicles they used. You spotted a black Harley-Davidson in the garage on your right and kept your eyes on it as you went past, “Push your eyes back in, y/n.” Maria teased as she rolled you towards the elevator, you huffed in protest before allowing yourself to genuinely smile for the first time in over a year. 

When you reached the main floor, Maria quickly showed you the communal rooms. You were briefly introduced to Vision and Nat, then taken up another floor to the bedrooms. Yours was at the end of the corridor in a corner next to Wanda’s room. For some reason you felt your heart leap when Maria mentioned her name, but you brushed it off when she opened your door and pushed you inside. It was a decent size- a bedroom/living space with minimal decorations. The grey walls were adorned with a few random stock images, the windows on the opposite side stretched across the length of the room, giving you a view of the trees beyond. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but it will once we get your stuff in here.” Maria stated as she moved from behind the wheelchair to stand in front of you, leaning on the back of a small grey sofa. You cocked an eyebrow at her, “If you think this isn’t much then you should have seen where I’ve been living for a year.” A smile weakly flashed on her face before she looked down at the floor. “I have.” She said. You squinted at her, wondering what she meant when it clicked.  
“Body cam?” She nodded at your question. “Whose?”  
“Sam’s.” She answered, looking up at you again. You mouthed ‘Oh’ as you remembered the state you were in when he found you, the bloodstains and dust that became a secondary layer of your skin, the torn hospital gown you had been given after they stripped you down and blasted your skin with freezing cold water. “Hey.” Maria’s voice drifted in your ear, bringing you out of your trance. She placed a hand on your shoulder, “You’re safe now, you’re gonna be okay.” You nodded, wanting desperately to believe her. Silence filled the room again, both of you reflecting on the last few days, until you were both interrupted by a voice from above you. “Deputy Director, Agent y/l/n, Mr Stark would like to invite you both to lunch in the dining room to welcome Agent y/l/n to the group.” Maria looked at you and pursed her lips, waiting for you to respond. Feeling your heart begin to race at the prospect of socialising, you shook your head. “Erm, tell Mr Stark that I appreciate the invitation, but I won’t be attending.” You glanced at Maria and she nodded understandingly at you.  
“FRIDAY,” She called, looking up at the ceiling. “Tell Tony I won’t be coming either- I have some errands to run.” She flicked her eyes down at you and winked. “I’m gonna go to your apartment and get you some things. Any requests?”  
“That I come too?” You asked her cheekily. She shook her head at you then gave you a little hug, promising not to take long. As she left the room and closed the door, you carefully hoisted yourself out of the wheelchair and toddler-walked over to the bed, almost falling into the soft squishy mattress. Looking around the room, the realisation that you were no longer under HYDRA rule overwhelmed you, and you finally allowed yourself to cry. 

It had been three days since you moved into the compound and three days since anyone had seen you. You followed your orders and never came out of your room, except to receive the trays of food let for you, not that she ever saw you do it. Wanda was growing worried, even Maria couldn’t get you to open the door. Every time someone approached your room- to speak to you or offer you a meal- FRIDAY would advise them that you were alive and well, and just in need of some time alone. She didn’t quite understand why she felt so disappointed; she’d only known you for a day and yet she would never forget the way you looked at her in the quinjet. How your eyes sparkled in the light and how they seemed to pierce into her soul. She could tell under the dirt and dried blood that you were a good-looking person, but she wouldn’t allow herself to think of you that way, it wasn’t fair. But when you looked at her…  
“Wanda- are you alright?” Vision’s voice interrupted her thoughts and she jumped slightly in her seat.  
“I’m fine,” She replied with a short smile. “I was just daydreaming.”  
“About the newbie?” Sam asked from his armchair, wiggling his eyebrows.  
“Of course not. Why would you think that?” Wanda snapped before sipping her herbal tea. All three of you heard the elevator door open and Wanda’s head flicked over to see the reason for it, just as Steve came into view. She took a breath and looked back at her tea, swirling the cup on the counter. She heard Sam snickering as he got up and walked over to her, “In all honesty Wanda, I don’t think y/n is gonna come out of their own accord.”  
“What do you mean?” She was eyeing him carefully as he leant against the counter next to her.  
“Think about it. They’ve been in captivity for over a year, no one to support them, no one to rely on- no one to trust.” He paused for a moment, Wanda listening intently to him and nodding in understanding. He smiled at her, “I appreciate that you want to talk to them- share in your common history- but you need to give them a reason to trust you first.” This was the most sincere Sam had ever been and Wanda wasn’t sure how to take it, but he was right. 

You had spent the past three days getting to grips with the world as well as yourself. The first day you spent mostly sleeping, opting for the floor rather than the bed as the mattress was far too soft and you felt like you were going to sink right in. Then you began to train yourself to walk without aid again, trying to build up your muscles while FRIDAY gave you a lowdown of world events. You ate the food that was left for you by Maria and Wanda, but it often ended with bouts of nausea- HYDRA didn’t exactly have a varied menu, nor did they care for offering you full and frequent meals. But you still persevered, walking around the room, eating what you could and learning about what had happened in the year you were away. Thirteen months… it seemed like a dream. People usually say that time is slower when you’re in that type of situation, or when you have no concept of time to keep by. But it seems the days rolled into one long assault of starvation, torture and no sleep.  
The one thing you did struggle with was your mood. You felt incredibly low and untrusting, afraid that you were going to wake up and be back in Franks’ lab. To make sure your lack of presence didn’t worry Maria, you asked FRIDAY to reassure people that you were alive, but that you weren’t seeing anyone; whilst you spent your waking hours trying to process what you had been burying for so long.  
You woke up with a start after an intense nightmare. Clutching at your chest, you gazed up at the ceiling and tried hard to slow your breathing. It took a while, but eventually the visions of Doctor Franks and his instruments of torture had slipped back into your unconscious as you sighed in despair. You looked to your right at the bed you still wouldn’t sleep in, wondering if a normal mattress would ever feel good again. Taking in a deep breath, you then felt your stomach growling uncomfortably. “FRIDAY, what time is it?” There was a second of silence.  
“It’s 6:49 in the evening, Agent y/l/n.” The voice replied. You thanked her then very slowly stood up from your position on the floor, taking care not to move too fast in case you got a head rush. Walking over to your door, you looked through the peephole- seeing no one- then opened it. You peered through the gap and saw a tray on the floor. There was always a tray outside of your room by 6:30pm and it never failed to make you smile. Sometimes there was a note too- usually from Maria- or an origami animal which you assumed was from Wanda. As you opened the door wider and ducked down, you smiled at today’s meal: a bowl of pasta, a flask labelled ‘green tea’ and an origami fish. You picked up the fish first, admiring the delicate folding and the beautifully colourful paper used. You felt a genuine warmth spread throughout your chest and a real smile bloomed on your face- your second one for over a year. Just then a shadow moved on your left and you flicked your head to see a dimly lit figure with striking green eyes. “Hey.” Wanda whispered.  
“Hey.” You offered her a quick smile before placing the origami fish on the tray and moving to pick it up.  
“It means good health.” She blurted out. You paused your movements.  
“What?”  
“The fish. It means good health and well-being.” She clarified as she crawled away from her seat by her door and closer to you. You looked at the fish again and smirked before looking back up at her. “What about the crane from yesterday?”  
“That means… happiness and good duck- er luck.” She replied, giggling. The sound was surreal, and it rippled in your chest like a stone in dead water. You felt the corner of your mouth pull into a grin and you were hot all of a sudden. “Well, thank you.” You whispered as you once again found yourself gazing into her eyes, you’d never seen eyes like hers before and it continued to amaze you when they illuminated like they were made of diamonds.  
You quickly noticed Wanda’s cheeks turning pink and realised you had been staring for too long. “Sorry.” You mumbled before holding your tray again and standing up, using the door frame to assist you. Wanda stood up too and moved towards you, placing her hand on yours, “If you ever want to talk about what happened or… anything really… I’m only next door. Just walk in if the door is open.” She squeezed your hand lightly before walking back into her room and softly closing the door. Taking a deep breath in, you could feel your heart quivering as you retreated into your room and pushed the door closed. Typical of you to start falling for a girl who was only trying to be nice. Shaking the thoughts away, you placed the tray on your coffee table and sat in the armchair. You felt a tingle in your hand where she touched you and instinctively began to stroke the skin, as if to continue feeling her touch. Another smile grew on your face as you went to pick up the pasta bowl and your eyes fell onto the little origami fish. Maybe she felt something too?


	6. Reaching Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hiding away for so long, you decide to reach out to your friends old and new; and make a more conscious effort to help yourself heal, including beginning your therapy sessions with a fellow avenger who has experience with anger issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Slight swearing; brief mention of parental death; mentions of torture; description of panic attack (the most vivid description has *** before and after); PLEASE LOOK AFTER YOURSELVES MY LOVES

Ever since your little chat with Wanda, you realised that maybe letting people into your life was better than shutting them out. Obviously Director Fury’s rules still stood- you weren't going to just walk around the compound- but that didn’t mean you couldn’t invite people in. You began by inviting Maria to a long-awaited movie night- much to her delight- and you both sat and watched action films until the early hours, just like you used to. Then you asked Wanda to teach you how to make the origami animals and spent many afternoons with her as she told you about her brother and her times here as an avenger. She did make some references to her time with HYDRA but tactfully remained brief on the subject. Soon the weeks flew by and you found yourself with a collection of new friends: Steve promised to let you ride his Harley when you were fit and healthy, Stark offered to help you sneak out one night with one of his own vehicles, of course you humbly declined despite his disappointment. But of all the new friends you had made, you had gotten the closest to Wanda; she had been so kind, supportive, and very patient, even when it took you a while to agree to starting physio. This was another new element of your life: physiotherapy. Though very uncomfortable and humiliating to start with, you were slowly becoming more able to walk on your own, only needing a cane on rough or busier days. The exercises in combination with your strict diet meant you were regaining your strength and therefore regaining more independence in your life. After thirteen months of hell and suffering, things were finally looking up. 

“No not that way!” Wanda scolded you as she giggled, taking the almost ruined origami crane from your hands, “You fold it this way, see?” You rolled your eyes playfully at her and then momentarily held her gaze, basking in the shimmering glow of her eyes. “I’ll get the hang of this eventually.” You smirked when you took the origami from her hands, your fingertips lingering on hers just a little before you peeled yourself away. As you missed Wanda trying to hide the blush in her cheeks, FRIDAY’s voice announced the arrival of Dr. Banner for your first session with him. Your heart sank and you looked at Wanda. She offered you a smile back then stood up as you took in a deep breath. Leaning forward, you reached for the black leather gloves on your coffee table and put them on. By the time you had lifted yourself out of your seat, Wanda had retrieved your cane and was admiring the black carbon fibre shaft with its flashes of yellow ‘lightning strikes’ all along it. “Stark’s idea, he loves a joke.” You sighed. Wanda glanced up at you as she handed it over.  
“It’s really nice though. But are you sure you can manage without your chair?”  
“I’m sure,” You replied decisively, holding the cane in your dominant hand before offering Wanda an ‘I’m ready’ smile and heading out the door. 

She reluctantly waved you off as you continued into the other building, the afternoon sun beating down just as you retreated into the shade, refusing to pull your long sleeves up. It was quiet except for the dull click of your cane on the floor and the irregular opening and closing of a door somewhere in the distance. Using the elevator to get to the next floor up, you turned the corner and almost bumped into Agent Rhodes. “Sorry- oh, A-agent Y/l/n.” He stuttered, almost flinching when he recognised you.  
“Hey Rhodes, how’s it going?”  
“Fine, er look, I’m sorry for what happened... to you. I honestly didn’t know that was going to happen and I-”  
“It’s fine, its fine.” You reassured him, trying to offer a warm smile. “You weren’t to know, were you?”  
“Of course.” He nodded, looking down at your cane then quickly back up. “Forgive me if I’m being rude, but did Dr. Franks mention anything? Maybe about another base or having other contacts like Bison?”  
“Er, no... he was too busy with... other things.” You replied, trying not to sound annoyed by the questions, it was his project after all.  
“Of course, I’m sorry, I’ll let you go. Get better soon!” He babbled before hurrying down the corridor and through a door. You watched him leave and shook your head, ‘Fucking paper-pushers’ you thought to yourself before following the signs for the science division and then finding a door labelled ‘Dr. B. Banner’. 

Knocking on the door lightly, you tried to keep your breathing calm. You’d obviously heard many things about the doctor, some good and some bad, but you hadn’t met him; and didn’t really understand why he has acting as your therapist and not someone else. There was a quiet shuffling on the other side of the door. As you strained yourself to listen, the door suddenly clicked open and you were greeted by a very unintimidating looking gentleman who simply smiled at you. “Agent Y/l/n?”  
“Call me y/n.” You replied as you nodded, your voice trailing off when you continued to stare at the man in front of you. He was average height and yet seemed very small from the way he held himself, hands clasped together and almost slouching. Not how you imagined Dr. Banner to be at all. He gave you another smile and pulled the door wider for you. Wandering in, you immediately walked over to the suede chair that was by a littered desk. You placed your cane on the floor by your side and watched the man as he walked around to the other side of the desk and sat down. “I don’t think we’ve met before... have we?” He asked quietly; you shook your head. “I see. You haven’t met... the other guy, have you?” Again, you shook your head. He sighed in relief before combing his shortly cropped hair with his hand. “So, I’ve been called to assess your situation. The directors believe my personal experience may provide insight into how your… powers... are being triggered-”  
“I’m sorry, your personal experience? I wasn’t hit with gamma rays, Dr. Banner.” You interrupted, trying not to sound rude.  
“Please call me Bruce.” He replied before clearing his throat. “And yes, it would seem from your tests that you weren’t, but they suspect some sort of emotional provocation and are now thinking that I can help you gain control.” Bruce glanced up at you, but you stayed silent. “So let’s talk about the instances, can you pinpoint what you feel at the time they occur?”  
“Not really, the most recent one was joy and it was pain before that.” Bruce was nodding at you; his facial features soft and passive, like he really cared about your answer. “Did you ever experience these instances whilst you were held captive? Maybe you felt it but didn’t realise what it was?”  
You shook your head, “Not that I can recall. They made me feel a lot of things and I wasn’t exactly keeping track.”  
“Fair enough.” He cleared his throat again and then reached for a beige folder, opening it up and skipping through the pages. You knew what it was before he started talking. “I’ve been looking through your file and I have to say it’s very impressive: high emotional intelligence, strong determination to succeed in all tasks. There’s not a lot about your family in here... what did your parents do for a living?”  
“Wow you’re not holding back on your punches, are you?” You scoffed as you shuffled in your seat and made use of the arm rests, tapping your fingers slightly. Bruce inhaled sharply, “I’m sorry, I’m just trying to see if there might be a connection to what happened to them-”  
“There’s no connection.” You snapped. “My mother was a homemaker and my father was a scientist.” Your heart was starting to race.  
“I see, which science?”  
“Biology.” You felt your jaw clenching and your heart rate continuing to climb.  
“Interesting. Did he ever bring his work home with-”  
“Look, Bruce, I’m not being funny, but you are not a qualified therapist and I’m certainly not interested in discussing the life or death of my parents. They died, I didn’t. It has nothing to do with what happened to me in that shithole!” There was a moment of silence and you noticed your ears were ringing as the familiar buzzing sensation fluttered in your chest. Bruce looked at you with that same passive expression, except now it had morphed into empathy. A genuine empathy that almost had you curious. “You’re right,” Bruce finally spoke. “I'm not a qualified therapist. And if we’re being honest with each other, I said no to this agreement at first.” He took a breath and you flicked your eyebrows up before glancing down at the floor. “But when I heard more about what happened to you, I couldn’t help but imagine what pain and torment you had to push yourself through to stay alive. That’s when I realised that if my experience counts for anything, then I wanted to help you if I could.” You flicked your gaze up at him and met his eyes. A moment of silence went by before he spoke again, “I think- in order to work out how your powers are activating- we're gonna need to delve into you as a person. I know it sucks- I've done it myself- but I really do believe it will help. Okay?” His gaze remained calm and almost inviting, you couldn’t help but warm up to his kindness and honestly you didn’t expect it from a man of his reputation. You shrugged your shoulders, “I guess we don’t know until we try.”  
Bruce ended the session early to give you both chance to think about your next steps, which you were rather relieved by. He arranged to see you at the end of the week and then walked you to the elevator before excusing himself to answer a phone call. Once back in your room, you had a quick shower and dressed for your physio session- long-sleeved shirt and leggings- then sat at your coffee table and made another attempt at the paper crane, focusing hard on the fold that you were struggling with earlier. Despite a wobbly start, you had finally succeeded and marvelled at the delicate animal in your hand, the shiny blue and gold stripes all along it adding to its magnificence. Then it was time for your physio session, so- keeping hold of your origami creation- you grabbed your cane and left your room again. As you walked down the corridor, you noticed Wanda’s door was wide open, so you quickly slipped inside and placed the paper crane on her desk. Smiling as you left, your heart fluttering as you imagined her face when she saw it. 

“Okay y/n this is great stuff! I see you’re practising like I told ya!” Steve praised as you managed to climb 5 flights on the stair machine, albeit very slowly. You smiled at him then shakily stepped off the machine and took the bottle of water from his hand. “You know, I still don’t understand why you’re doing these sessions not the people SHIELD actually hire.”  
“Well, I have personal experience in how much it sucks to feel like you can’t do anything, and from what I hear the SHIELD guys are too forgiving.” Steve winked, as he took the bottle from you and walked you over to the weights. “Okay we’ve done enough legs for today, let’s get some arm reps in before we finish.” He stood by the selection of dumbbells, ignoring your sighs of protest as he offered you one of the lighter ones. Just then the gym door opened, causing you to instinctively look behind you in the mirror, and your heart dropped when Wanda walked in; her athletic gear hugging her curves in all the right places. She met your eyes momentarily and flashed you a sheepish smile before she turned her back and walked towards a treadmill. “Stay focused, y/n.” Steve warned, smirking at you as he spoke. You rolled your eyes and began lifting the weight with both hands. You were pushing closer and closer to your target; your arms were beginning to burn but you refused to give in. Steve stood to your side and leaned forward, “Come on now y/n, you’re getting sloppy!”  
“Shut up Steve I’m closer than yesterday!” You breathed through another rep as he scoffed at your remark.   
“Not close enough, maybe I’ve been going too soft on you!”  
I’ve been going too soft on you.  
_“I’ve been going too soft on you, 513.” Dr Franks’ voice mocked as your eyes fluttered open, the harsh white lights obstructing your vision. You were strapped to one of the bed’s, the leather binds nipping at your skin. A figure blocked one of the lights and leaned into view, the unmistakable smell of stale cologne and copper flooded your senses. “You’ve been too comfortable during our sessions and now I’m growing impatient. I know what lies inside you and I won’t rest until I awaken it, even if I have to tear your flesh from your bones.” He sneered as he spoke before turning his back. You fought against your restraints, willing them to break so you could reach out and rip that smug look off his face. But your burst of aggression soon died when he returned with a head restraint and electrodes, a malicious grin carved into his face..._

“Y/n!” A voice screamed in your face, snapping you back to reality just as your body went limp. You heard the dumbbell drop to the floor with a thud as Steve lunged forward to grab you and carefully lower you. He sat you down and you immediately wrapped your arms around your knees, trying to hold back the imminent overload.  
*** Your heart was thumping and your vision kept focusing in and out like a bad camera. Your ears felt itchy and you could barely hear Steve as he tried to get you to talk. His voice was blurred, like you were underwater, the only clear sound was the blood rushing to your head. Suddenly your chest felt exposed- like someone had taken hold of your lungs and was squeezing them shut. You closed your eyes and your jaw unclenched enough for you to gasp for air, praying for the agony to end without another incident. ***  
As you descended further into your panic, a voice broke through the noise- like you could hear it from inside your head- as it called your name. “Y/n, I’m here. You’re safe now, take deeper breaths.” It was Wanda. The distraction gave you a chance to try and gain control of your breathing, forcing yourself to make deep breaths in and out. “That’s it, keep going, you’re doing great.” Her voice again, louder this time and by your side. After several minutes, you managed to open your eyes and immediately found Wanda’s eyes as they gazed at you, laced with concern and helplessness. You wanted to speak to her but couldn’t, your lungs still gasping for air. As you held a breath for a little too long, you spluttered and coughed, the air rapidly leaving your body again. You felt cool, soft hands either side of your face and suddenly the buzzing feeling flew through your body and burst from your skin. Wanda gasped as the electricity bit her skin and suddenly your thoughts were connected; flashes of your past tortures rushed through your mind like a runaway freight train: your family, HYDRA and everything in between; as well as images of young Wanda being strapped to a chair as men in white coats ran tests on her, ignoring her cries. It was too fast for your brain to cope with and another buzzing feeling overwhelmed you. You heard Wanda cry out and her hands forcibly left your face. As you both sat on the floor, panting and trying to recover from what just happened, Steve leant down to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, “Hey are you alright, kid?”  
“I’m. Okay.” She breathed as she looked over at you. Shame racked your body and you avoided her gaze, heartbroken that you could have hurt her so much. “What happened?” Steve’s question hung in the air, presumedly aimed at both of you but you didn’t dare answer. You heard a shuffle and saw Wanda’s hand come into view as she tentatively placed it on your knee. Noticing the redness on her hands, you were about to get up and try to leave when she spoke, “That man with the scar, that was Dr. Franks?” You nodded but still wouldn’t look at her. “I know him.” She muttered. Your heart dropped and you shot your head up to look at her, the realisation dawning on her face as she met your gaze.


	7. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Information is uncovered which makes things difficult to deal with. But getting closer to Wanda makes everything better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Swearing; mentions of anxiety attack (not fully descriptive); fluff ending

You hadn’t seen Wanda since the incident yesterday, and that was exactly what you wanted. It was cliché, but the idea of hurting Wanda killed you more than anything you had previously suffered, so you locked yourself away in your room again, refusing to see anyone. That is, until Sam came knocking on your door. “Yo y/n can you open the door? I need to talk to you.” His voice snapped you awake. Groaning, you stretched out from your curled position on the couch, amazed you even managed to sleep on it. You checked the time- 8:00am- and groaned again, louder this time. “Open up buttercup! Your saviour is here!” Chuckling silently, you wandered over to your door and opened it ever so slightly.  
“Jesus?” You asked innocently, peeking at Sam through the gap. He laughed out loud and beamed at you, holding up a tray.  
“Breakfast.”  
“I’m not hungry but thanks.” You sighed.  
“I didn’t ask. Besides, I need to talk to you, we got something.” Those words were more than enough to pique your interest. Opening the door wider, you stepped back as Sam walked over to your coffee table and lowered the tray. You joined him and sat down on the couch as Sam picked up a mug and sat in the armchair. You eyed the tray of goods- coffee, pastries and a small, blue origami elephant which sat on a small piece of paper. You looked over at Sam and scoffed, “Is this-” You pointed at the origami. “-what you meant by ‘we got something’ Sam?”  
He took another sip from his mug, “No, Wanda caught me on my way over and wanted me to give you that. You like elephants or something?”  
“No, it's... Never mind, what’s going on?” You picked up the mug, enjoying the dark coffee smell before taking a mouthful.  
“Wanda’s just been going over intel with Hill and Fury, and they think they’ve got some more info on your scientist.” Sam paused to take a pastry from the plate and have a mouthful as he let the news sink in. “There’s a briefing in 45 minutes which I assume you’ll want to come to.”  
“Of course!” You immediately replied, “Who else is going?”  
“Everyone.” He mumbled as he took another bite, “Some guy named Agent Rhodes too, it’s his project or something?”  
“Ah yes, him.” You rolled your eyes and picked up a pastry for yourself, a small plain croissant dusted with sugar. “Is he leading it?”  
“Oh no, Fury is- he isn’t taking any chances this time and wants everyone in on it.” Sam’s reply was barely understandable as he took another huge mouthful of a croissant. You were enjoying yours in smaller bites, your eyes rarely straying from the little blue elephant that was calling to you. Sam coughed, which brought you out of your trance, and he stood up, “Well I’ll leave you to get ready, I’ll be downstairs waiting for ya.” He smiled before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Once he left, you picked up the paper elephant and admired the folding, how the trunk seemed to curve without limit, and you couldn’t help but smile. Then your eyes fell to the note and you hesitantly picked it up to read:  
_The elephant means strength and perseverance.  
Don’t give up on yourself, I haven’t.  
Wanda x  
P.S. The elephant is also proof that my hands are fine- don't feel guilty :) _  
You hummed in amusement as you stood up and wandered over to your desk, adding the animal to your growing collection. Afterwards, you set about having a quick shower, your thoughts racing with questions and Dr. Franks’ face refusing to leave your mind. 

The chosen meeting room looked like a typical office- glass covered walls, a projector aimed at a blank wall at the front, and a large window opposite the door overlooking one of the many surrounding fields. The tables were arranged in a U-shape facing the presentation wall, surrounded by basic, fabric-cushioned chairs. There were even glasses and water bottles in each place; ‘How very civilised’ you smiled to yourself as you followed Sam and took your place in the seat at the back closest to the window, placing your cane on the window ledge behind you. Sam patted your shoulder and walked over to greet Steve who had just arrived. Quickly looking away, you grabbed the water bottle closest to you and tried to pry it open, its flip-top lid proving a worthy opponent to your leather gloves. After a few more moments you defeatedly put the bottle down in front of you, choosing to stare at it instead; when red mist surrounded the top and it popped open. Glancing up, your eyes met Wanda’s as she walked over to you a graceful smile on her lips. She placed her hand on the chair perpendicular to you, her eyes widening as if to ask you if the seat was taken. You looked down at her hand, the burning redness had now gone thankfully, “S’all yours.” You said quietly, giving her a thin smile before looking away. Sam came to sit next to you and Steve sat by Wanda as the others began filing in- Nat, Clint, Vision, Bruce, and finally Tony. You didn’t look at anyone, worried about what they thought of you, and was relieved when Fury marched in with Maria and Agent Rhodes following behind, causing the chatter to die down. “Alright team.” He began, nodding to Rhodes who then started typing on his tablet. The projector came to life and started displaying images on the wall as Fury spoke. “As you know, Agent Y/l/n went to Poland last year to locate a growing HYDRA faction that had been moonlighting as a human trafficking ring. There they uncovered a name: Doctor Franks, or Frankenstein. Now we since managed to find the real base Franks had been operating from...” An image of the base you had been held in showed up on screen. At first glance it simply looked like an old mine in the middle of nowhere, but you knew it was a façade for the horror and torture that went on. You felt a hand on yours and didn’t realise you had clenched your fist. You stared at the hand before flicking your gaze up to Wanda, who was still listening to Fury, as she squeezed your fist slightly. Turning back to look at Fury, you unclenched your fist and laid it flat on the table. “... and so despite all that we had nothing else, until now.” Fury paused and took a sip of his water. “Yesterday there was an incident which turned up a key piece of evidence.” He nodded at Maria who then stood up as Rhodes began typing on his tablet again.  
“It turns out that Dr. Franks also experimented on Wanda and her brother, working alongside Von Strucker and Dr. List. And thanks to Wanda’s positive identification, we now have a face to a name and a name to a long list of horrific acts.” An image appeared on the screen and your blood froze. It was a young man with short, brown hair and brown eyes, and a scar on the right side of his face. “Dr. Wilhelm Franks, formally a German geneticist and prolific Nazi. Unfortunately for him he was born too late for World War II but he did manage to get into HYDRA early enough to become part of the Winter Soldier program, earning his stripes alongside a fellow geneticist that we still can’t identify...” The dark eyes were staring at you as you stared back, even in his youth the doctor had a menacing look in his eyes- like he was desperate to see suffering and pain, desperate to tear your flesh from your bones. The image on the wall changed to a more recent one- from his time with Von Strucker- and your breathing stopped. Memories flashed through your mind and flooded your senses. You could smell his cologne, hear the grating tone of his voice, feel the weight of his hand on your arm as he would restrain you... the buzzing feeling began to grow in your stomach and you knew you had to leave. As Maria was still talking, you abruptly stood up and grabbed your cane from the window ledge. “Y/n?” Maria called after you but you ignored her and silently walked out of the room as quickly as your muscles would allow. 

Practically marching towards the elevator, your heart rate was climbing and soon came with a throbbing pain. You took a seat on a nearby bench, your cane clanging on the tiled floor as you hung your head and clutched at your chest, controlling your breathing before it got worse. You heard a door open and close in the distance, followed by speeding footsteps. “Y/n!” Wanda’s voice echoed through the empty corridor as she jogged over and knelt down in front of you, “Hey you’re safe, you’re safe, he can’t hurt you anymore.”  
“Yes he can.” You snapped, tilted your head up and looked at her, not caring about the tears in your eyes. “He’s in here-” You violently jabbed at your temple, your voice breaking. “- He won’t leave my head he won’t go just like my dad he won’t ever leave!” Wanda grabbed you and pulled you into her, wrapping her arms around you, one around your neck and the other around your back. You would have been surprised but an uncontrollable sob left your body and you buried your head into her shoulder, her hair pressing against your face. You slowly placed your fingertips on her lower back, too afraid to fully place your hand on her. The following moments were silent except for your sobs and snuffling. Wanda wordlessly began stroking your hair, every so often making her embrace tighter as if to remind you that you were okay. When you managed to calm down, Wanda still held on to you, “Never forget that we are all here for you,” She whispered into your ear, “You’re part of the family now and we all care about you. I care about you.” You nodded into her shoulder, causing her to giggle slightly. “Wow I’ve never seen you this compliant before, is this permanent?” You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as you pulled away from her and sat up straight, wiping your face with the back of your sleeve, “In your dreams, Maximoff.” You teased, earning another giggle from her lips.  
“How about we go sit in the kitchen and I’ll make you some breakfast, sound good?” You nodded and she picked up your cane, before handing it to you. 

You sat at the kitchen island while Wanda got to work on some pancakes, the quiet hum of the radio filling the air as well as the sizzling of the frying pan. Watching her felt almost rude, like you were intruding on a private moment, but when she would look back at you and give you her wonderful smile, it reminded you this was your private moment too. With breakfast plated up, she sat next to you and watched as you deeply inhaled the pancakes, almost getting maple syrup on your nose. “You can eat them, you know?” She joked before taking a bite of hers.  
“Oh I know,” You mumbled as you continued to stare at your food. “This is one of my favourite meals and I want to make every second count.” Finally cutting a piece, you placed it in your mouth and sighed at the warm sweet taste as it coated your tongue. “So fucking good.” You mumbled. “Would you like me to leave you two alone?” Wanda asked, trying very hard to hold back a laugh. But you noticed and couldn’t help but laugh with her, especially when you realised how stupid you probably sounded.  
Once breakfast was destroyed, you sighed contently and thanked Wanda again for her superb cooking skills. She smiled at you and took your plate, placing the used pots in the sink before turning to face you. “Can I... ask you something?” She asked hesitantly.  
“Sure.” You cheerily replied, wiping your face with a piece of kitchen roll.  
“It’s just, you mentioned your dad earlier and that’s the first time you’ve ever talked about your life outside of SHIELD... I just wondered why you said he was stuck in your head?” A deafening silence shook the room and your hands had paused in front of your face. You didn’t look at her, trying to decide whether you could trust her or not. “I’m sorry.” She stuttered, “I shouldn’t have asked, forget I said anything.” She went to take your empty glass when you reached out and took her hand in yours, if only the leather of your gloves wasn’t so thick and unfeeling. “It’s okay, it’s just a, difficult subject for me.” You said, half-whispering before letting go of her hand. She moved around the counter to stand in front of you and took your hand again. “What are you-?” You didn’t have time to finish your question as she pulled your glove off and placed her hand in yours, entwining her fingers with yours. A cold shiver ran down your spine at the feeling, her skin cool and delicately soft, like silk. You glanced up at her, and found her already staring at you, “I’m not afraid of you or your powers. I trust you. And I want you to know that you can trust me too, when you’re ready.” You nodded at her and smiled, thankful for her patience. You heard the elevator door ping followed by chatter as the door opened and the other avengers filed in, all moaning about how hungry they were. You quickly pulled your hand away from Wanda’s and she returned your glove, a mutual understanding between you as she winked before walking over to say hi to Nat.  
Putting your glove back on, you couldn’t help but caress the skin, trying to feel her touch again. This was becoming a habit of yours- finding yourself reeling after any form of physical connection with her- but you were slowly becoming more open to it, actively seeking it out. Were you scaring her? Or was she seeking it too? Maybe it’s time you asked her out on a date... If so, you’d have to seek help from your wingwoman first.


	8. Gaining Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get some advice from your best friend regarding asking Wanda on a date... but are you brave enough to follow it through? Also, is this my way of telling y’all that therapy can really work? Yes, yes it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Wanda x reader; Maria x reader; Bruce; Steve; Reader is gender neutral so everyone can enjoy 😊  
> Warnings: Swearing; Mentions of parental death; mentions of domestic abuse; angst followed by fluuuuuuuff. If you needed a good cathartic cry, then this may be the fic for you.

“You’re really not taking this seriously, are you?” You groaned as you went to stand up from your spot before a giggling Maria grabbed your wrist and pulled you back down. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She breathed between laughs as she calmed herself down, “It’s just... I’ve never seen you like this before!”  
“And you never will again!” You huffed, taking a swig of coffee.  
“Oh don’t be like that!” Maria pouted, “I’m sorry, let me try again; so what kind of date would you want to take her on?” You thought for a moment, trying to think of different ideas which Wanda might like. “I actually don’t know. I mean, there’s not a lot I’m allowed to do at the moment.” You sighed, referring to your current isolation status.  
“True,” Maria replied, “Why not make her dinner? Or you could go up to the roof at night and do some stargazing?” You grimaced at her suggestions and she noticed. “Oh I’m sorry, are they not good enough?”  
“They are, I just... I don’t know Maria. I like how things are and I’m worried that I’m misreading signs and she’s just being nice to me.” You saw Maria smirk before she placed her hand on your shoulder, “Just go with your instinct, when the time is right- you’ll know what to say.” She smiled at you as you nodded, maybe you were going too quickly for your own good. Before long, Maria’s phone buzzed and she excused herself, giving you a hug before she left. You sighed and rubbed your face with your hands before getting ready for your next session with Bruce. 

“Afternoon! Would you like a drink?” Bruce greeted you as he let you in before softly closing his office door behind you.  
“No, thank you.” You replied, sitting down in the suede chair and resting your cane on the floor.  
“How’s the physio going?” He asked as he sat down.  
You smiled through pursed lips, “Er, well, I had to practically beg Steve to keep training me after he convinced himself he caused my... episode... in the gym. But we’ve started it back up and I’m seeing him later.”  
“Good, good.” Bruce smiled as he spoke, “So your ‘episode’ in the gym, what do you think caused it?”  
“It was just a flashback, Steve said something similar to what I remember Franks saying and it just... took over.” Bruce nodded at you, taking a sip from his mug and placing it on the desk, cradling it with both hands. “Are you comfortable with telling me what the flashback was?” Shuffling in your seat, you looked down at your clasped hands for a few moments before looking back up, “It was, er, one of the many occasions that Franks tortured me. But this time he was angry cause he hadn’t gotten from me what he wanted.”  
“I see, what did he say, exactly?”  
“Well he said he thought he’d been ‘going too soft on me’,” You looked outside the window, trying not to let the thoughts cloud you again, “Then he said something like ‘I know what’s inside you and I won’t rest until I awaken it’ which at the time I thought was weird but... I guess I understand what he was talking about now.”  
“So you think your powers have been inside you the whole time?”  
“Maybe?” You shrugged, “I mean, I don’t remember him ever injecting me with anyth- huh.” You trailed off, images of your childhood bursting through to your conscious like flowers through snow. “What is it?” Bruce asked, leaning forward on his desk.  
“Well, nothing... but that just reminded me of when I used to have injections done by my dad as a kid.”  
“Do you think he may have done something?”  
“Oh no not at all, he was a geneticist- not a terrorist!” You snorted slightly, “It’s just weird cause I haven’t had a clear memory of the man in years.”  
“This is good, what details do you remember?”  
“Well I used to be quite ill as a kid and my dad would give me medication to help. I remember him insisting that he do it on his own without my mother there, like he was determined to ‘cure’ me or something.”  
“I see, and what illness was it?” Bruce asked as he leant back in his chair. You thought for a moment, trying to remember if your parents told you about it, or even if you’d been to see a medical doctor, but no memory came to light. “I don’t know, I just remember my dad saying that the injections would ‘make me better’.”  
“And now that you remember that, how does it make you feel?”  
“Honestly?” You laughed, “It makes me angry.”  
“Why’s that?”  
“Because he was an asshole- and contradictory one at that! Pfft, ‘make me better’- the memories might not be clear but my god I remember the way he would shout at me and my mother. Would lock himself in his office for days- only coming out to argue with her or give me my medication- he was an angry man and the last thing he did before he died was hit my mother in front of me!” You could feel the tears well up in your eyes at the memory as you tried to keep your breathing calm. Glancing at Bruce, he offered you a thin smile as he pulled a box of tissues from a drawer by his side and placed it on the desk in front of you. "What about your mother? How do you feel about her?”  
“I... I feel helpless. I wish I could go back in time and save her from that monster.” You felt your heart breaking as you spoke, “She didn’t deserve that- she was kind, nurturing, compassionate.” The buzzing feeling was beginning to grow in your chest, but low this time, more manageable. “She saved me from the fire, you know? By dragging me out from under the table and holding up a part of the collapsed ceiling so I could run out... and I-I never got to say goodbye.” You squeezed your eyes shut, as the tears flowed. Feeling the buzzing feeling get stronger, you couldn’t help but focus on it, tensing it like a muscle as the feeling expanded to the rest of your body, like a comforting hug. You let out a slow deep breath, like you’d resurfaced from being underwater too long; you’d never admitted that before, not even to yourself. “Er, y/n?” Bruce’s voice was quiet. Quickly opening your eyes, you looked at him, your vision blurred with tears. He was smiling as he then nodded down to your left hand. You followed his gaze and was shocked to see sparks whizzing out of it like a sparkler, but they weren’t out of control. The sparks abruptly disappeared when you stopped focusing on the buzzing feeling. Glancing up at Bruce, who was looking at you wide-eyed, you realised the buzzing feeling was still in your chest. Blinking the tears away to clear your sight, you focused on it again, tensing it like before, but this time trying to tense the muscle in your arm too. You watched in amazement as the sparks appeared, flying off your hand even as you lifted it up and moved your fingers around. “Its... I’m...” You were speechless, too bewildered by what was happening.   
“Amazing... you’ve done it, you’ve found the source of your power.” Bruce praised; his smile even bigger than before. Happy tears were falling on your face this time, as you let go of the buzzing feeling and watched the sparks disappear. “How do you feel?” He asked.  
“In control.” You smiled before you both let out a short laugh. 

As the elevator door pinged open, you stepped into the communal living space and found Wanda curled up on the sofa reading a book. “Wanda!” You shouted as you began to jog over- like a newborn calf- cane in hand. It hurt but you were too excited to care. Upon seeing you, she dropped her book and ran to you, holding you firmly on your forearms, “What? What’s happened? Are you oka-” You gripped her shoulders briefly, placing a finger to your lips, and then taking a step back. You held your left arm out in front of you, palm upwards, and looked at your hand. When you could sense the buzzing feeling, you focused on it, tensing the muscle in your arm. After a few seconds, the buzzing got stronger and sure enough, sparks started to fly out of your hand. You flicked your gaze up to Wanda, your mouth growing into an open smile as she did the same. “Y/n... That’s amazing!” She cried as she embraced you. Quickly releasing the buzz in your arm, you waited before putting your hands on her- making sure the cane was angled away- then held her tighter as you buried your face in her hair, the flowery scent adding to your ecstasy. “I’m so proud of you,” Wanda whispered in your ear, “You didn’t give up and now look at you!” You pulled away, seeing the grin on her face and the way her green eyes sparkled. “And thank you Wanda- you gave me the courage to keep going, I couldn’t have done it without you.” You beamed. Noting how close your face was to hers, you realised that both of you were still holding each other tightly, gazing into each other’s eyes in silent conversation. Her smile weakened and you couldn’t help but look down, admiring the curve of her lips, the shimmer from her lip balm. You saw them curve into a smile again and you flicked your gaze up to see her looking in your eyes before lightly biting her lip. Your heart was pounding and you were trying hard to not succumb to the buzzing feeling, you desperately didn’t want to ruin this moment. Leaning forward, you tilted your head towards hers, still giving her a chance to pull back. But she didn’t, instead her eyes fell to your mouth as her lips parted slightly.  
“Y/n!” Steve’s voice shouted from the library stairs behind Wanda, startling you both as you made a space between you. “Sorry guys, didn’t mean to spook you.” He said as he walked over to you wearing his gym gear, water bottle in hand. You took a deep breath, glancing at Wanda- who was looking at the ground- before looking back at him. “It’s fine, that time already?” You asked him, wanting to curse him for his intrusion.  
“Sure is! I see you’re not ready, so I’ll meet ya down there in 15?” You answered him with a nod and he said his goodbyes before walking over to the elevator; followed by a painful eternity of waiting for the elevator to arrive and watching him enter. Then you waited for the soft closing of the door before you turned back to Wanda. You had no time to react as she suddenly closed the gap between you and placed her lips on yours. It was firm but not demanding, knocking you out harder than anything you had ever experienced and causing you to almost drop your cane. When the shock wore off, you held on to her waist and pulled her closer as she placed her hand on your cheek. Your lips moved together like a waltz, slow yet purposeful, inhaling each other in like the last source of air. Just as you could feel yourself drowning in her kiss, the buzzing sensation grew in your chest and a small spark passed between you, breaking the moment as you both gasped then giggled. “Sorry.” You whispered. “It’s fine.” She replied, a blush in her cheeks leaving her more radiant than a summer morning. Gazing at each other again, you became very aware of your surroundings and cleared your throat, “I suppose I should... go get ready.”  
“I suppose you should.” She chuckled, her eyes never wavering from yours. You gave her a breathy smile then backed away towards the elevator as she wandered over to the couch and picked up her book. You pressed the button, leaning onto your cane like the woman had taken your energy with her. Heart and mind still racing, you turned your head, “Hey Wanda?” She looked up at you and hummed in response. “Would you like to go up to the roof later? Maybe look for some stars?” You barely had enough breath in your lungs to finish the sentence, and the smile that bloomed on her face made it worse, “Sounds perfect, I’ll bring some blankets. Meet you at 9?”  
“See you then.” You smirked as the elevator door pinged open. Stepping inside, you chose the bedroom floor and leant against the wall, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, the realisation of what had just happened hitting you like a truck.


	9. A Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get stronger each day and start training with the team; not to mention your relationship with Wanda is growing too. Wouldn’t it be a shame if something tragic were to happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Steamy scene with Wanda (You are welcome); Angst; mentions of torture/blood/abuse

News quickly spread about your newfound control and Director Fury finally gave you the green light to interact with the team more freely; more specifically- training, something Maria was very eager for you to be doing as it “Would get you out of that damn bedroom.” There were many struggles to begin with- mostly around stress-induced power bursts when the exercises got too much for you and sometimes, when your anxiety took your focus, you had to sit out. The team-based exercises were the hardest; you were used to doing missions alone and often your anger got the better of you when things didn’t go as planned. On those occasions, Wanda would place her hand on you and remind you to take a breath, or Bruce would talk with you until you felt better. The days turned into weeks and you could feel yourself getting stronger- your body returning to its normal peak condition, impressing your training leaders Nat and Steve. “Wow y/n, I’m starting to see where the rumours come from.” Nat teased as you finished her obstacle course in close to record time, beating your own personal best for the second time that day. “What can I say,” You breathed as you reached for a bottle of water, “I’m determined.” You smiled at her and she couldn’t help but laugh as the rest of the team reached the finish line in scattered fashion. “Seriously y/n, you got super speed too or something?” Sam wheezed, gripping his side as he breathed heavily. “No you’re just, you know, average.” You replied, winking at him when he glanced over at you.  
“Oh funny!” He retorted, before throwing his towel at you.  
After training finished and you were walking back to your room, Nat called after you, meeting you by your door, “Hey, we’re all having a pizza night and some drinks, we’d really like you to come.”  
“Thanks Nat, really,” You smiled, “But I, er, I’ve some things to catch up on.” If she was disappointed, then she hid it well.  
“Sure, no problem y/n.” She smiled back.  
“Oh I see,” Tony interrupted as he stood at the end of the corridor, “Agent Doesn’t-communicate-with-others-outside-of-professional-boundaries gets a free ticket but when I don’t wanna hang around you losers I’m a terrible person?”  
Your eyes grew wide and you laughed at his words, “Wow is there anyone who hasn’t read my file?”  
“Your girlfriend probably hasn’t, but then again, maybe she looked it up first?” He teased. You raised your eyebrows at him.  
“My girlfriend?”  
“Oh don’t play coy, we both know you and Maria are waaaay too close to be friends.” Tony replied so matter-of-factly. You threw your head back and laughed, it had been a long time since you’d heard those rumours. “Tony you’re such an idiot!” You sighed, just in time to see Sam walking closer, “Yeah Tony, everyone knows they’re with Wanda! Those two can’t keep their stolen glances hidden for long!” Sam teased, wiggling his eyebrows as you showed your best poker face, “Nice try, Mr. Average!”  
Leaving Tony and Sam to hash out their opinions on your love life, you entered your bedroom and closed the door, leaning against it and sighing deeply. “So are you really not gonna make them come for dinner?” You heard Tony ask Nat.  
“Wait, y/n isn’t coming? Why?” Sam added. He sounded hurt and you began to feel guilty.  
“I guess they’re not ready yet.” Nat replied quietly. She was right, you weren’t. You peeled yourself from the door and wandered over to your bathroom, switching the shower on as you undressed out of your gym clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Standing in the shower, the hot water splashing off your skin, you thought about what Nat said. No, you weren’t ready for social gatherings- had you ever really been ready for gatherings with semi-strangers? - but you couldn’t help but wonder if maybe you weren’t ready for being part of the team at all. It had only been a few months since they pulled you out of your cage... were you asking too much of yourself? 

Switching off the shower, you pulled a towel round your body and ambled into your room. Grabbing a black oversized t-shirt and grey joggers, you pulled them on just as there was a soft knock at the door. A smile grew on your face as you recognised the knock and you skipped a little to the door and opened it. “Hey.” Wanda smiled at you.  
“Hey.” You quietly replied, “You okay?”  
“I actually came to ask you the same thing.” She admitted, “Nat told me you weren’t coming down, is everything alright?”  
“Yeah I’m fine.” You reassured her with your best smile, “I’m just feeling tired from training, you know?” She didn’t respond to you straight away, instead she stared at you intensely, as if reading your mind. “Hmm... I’m not buying it.” She finally replied, causing you to laugh slightly as you averted your gaze to the floor. You felt her finger hook under your chin and lift your head up, “Give me five minutes, I’m gonna go grab some pizza for us and we can watch that planet documentary, okay?”  
You grinned as you gazed in her eyes, “Sure, I’ll get it set up.” You replied. She planted a short kiss on your lips and pulled away, giggling when you leaned forward again for another one. When she left, you closed your door and sighed, your heart racing and the buzzing feeling lowly in your chest.  
Sure enough, five minutes later there was another knock at your door and Wanda entered your room with arms full of pizza, chips and dip as well as some soda. You enjoyed the time with her, both of you commentating on the documentary, earning a playful hit from her when you clapped at a small rabbit getting eaten. Despite having been ‘seeing her’ for a few weeks now, you still felt incredible nervous around her, almost intimidated by her presence. Her smile and beautiful eyes had a way with you that you had never felt before. “What?” Wanda asked, causing you to flinch when you realised you’d been staring at her. “Nothing, I-I was just thinking I’m sorry.”  
“It’s okay,” She smiled, her eyes lingering on your lips. Taking the hint, you leant forward and kissed her, the arm you had on the back of the couch now moving around her shoulders to pull her closer as she placed her hand on your jaw. It was gentle at first, innocently sweet, then as one kiss turned to many, your hunger for each other grew. She pushed your head back with her kiss and moved to kneel on the couch. Instinctively, you gripped her thigh and pulled it across your lap, allowing her straddle you without breaking the kiss. At this point she buried her hands in your hair, tugging enough to earn a moan from you as your hands crept up her thighs to the small of her back, slipping under her jumper. The feel of her skin under your touch was truly electrifying- no pun intended- the soft sensation made you want more. Your lips continued to move together, tongues tasting each other as the drug-like euphoria left you feeling high. Though you had found yourselves in similar situations a few times before (mostly under a blanket on the roof), this was needier, more passionate. Hiding your feelings from the rest of the team turned out to be much harder than either of you realised and clearly this was the consequence. The sweet, delicious consequence.  
Just then there was a knock at the door, “Wanda? Y/n? You in there?” Steve’s voice. Wanda pulled away from the kiss, leaning her forehead on yours. “That man is either doing it on purpose or just has really terrible timing.” You whispered.  
“Or both.” She quietly replied before clearing her throat, “Yes Steve I’m here, are you okay?”  
“We er... you gotta come see this. Both of you.” His tone was concerning, almost fearful. Sharing a look between you, Wanda moved off your lap and towards the door, opening it to see Steve showing the same look on his face as his voice suggested. 

Following Steve to a briefing room, you were startled to see the whole avengers team including Director Fury and Maria, all of them looking up at you simultaneously from their seats. You looked up at the flickering screen and your heart sunk. You tried to keep calm as you hovered by the door, unsure of what to do. “What’s going on?” Wanda asked, directing her question at everyone in the room.  
“We’ve had a message.” Maria replied, her response was slow as she glanced at you. You weren’t looking directly at her, your eyes glued to the paused screen. You knew what this was. “Has anyone seen it?” You managed to force the words out.  
“Agent Rhodes has, he then immediately passed it to me.” Maria answered.  
“Y/n?” Wanda’s voice pulled for your attention, but you were transfixed.  
“Play it.” You mumbled.  
Maria stepped towards you, “Y/n are you s-”  
“Play it!” You snapped, flicking your eyes towards her. She flinched at your tone but quickly regained her posture, then tapped at her tablet. The screen displayed camcorder footage of one of Franks’ testing rooms, focusing on a large steel chair surrounded by monitors and a desk covered in a white cloth. You felt Wanda’s eyes on you, but you didn’t dare turn away to look. The footage continued and Dr. Franks walked into shot, bending down in front of the camera and checking the angle, moving it slightly to ensure to whole scene was recorded. Then he stood up straight, fixed his lab coat sleeves and sneered when a screaming in the distance got louder. The sound of a door slamming open could be heard followed by your voice- swearing and shouting at the men as you fought desperately to get out of their grasp. Managing to kick one guard, you tried to pull away but was stopped by the other as he effortlessly pulled out a taser and shocked the back of your neck. You screamed and then went limp. The injured guard then got up and punched you in the stomach hard before slamming you into the chair. The men strapped you in before walking out of shot, the only sound became you grunts and laboured breathing. “Pain threshold test number 8 with Phönix 513.” Franks began as he placed a fabric bag on the desk and unwrapped it slowly, the contents inside began reflecting the harsh white lights from above him.  
Suddenly the video stopped. You blinked and looked at Maria, as did everyone else, “I really don’t think we should be watching this. It’s clearly of no value-”  
“Hill, you don’t get to make that decision.” Fury snapped, a surprised tone in his voice.  
“Sir it’s just a scare tactic-”  
“One that the enemy clearly wants us to know about.” Steve replied.  
“Oh helpful, not at all to scare the shit out of y/n for some reason.” Tony countered, “Just give me the footage and trace it-” An argument soon erupted between various members of the team, each justifying why they should or shouldn’t watch the tape. Wanda joined in, saying that you shouldn’t be watching this so early in recovery, Bruce agreeing with her. You stayed quiet, still stood by the door, the rest of the tape played out in your head- you knew what happened, hell you remembered everything that he did to you- but why were you supposed to see this?  
“Stop!” You shouted, focusing on the buzzing in your chest enough to mess with the lights and everyone slowly quietened as they turned to look at you. “I want to see it.”  
“Y/n, you don’t-”  
“Yes Maria, I do. I want to know why he wants me to see this particular time, why number 8 out of 46?”  
“Forty-six?” Tony cut in, eyes wide and mouth open.  
“The only time-keeping I could do in there.” You admitted, glancing at Wanda as you saw her eyes watering.  
“Holy shit.” Tony breathed, looking back at the screen.  
You looked at Maria, “Please, I need to know.” Sighing deeply, she pressed play and you all turned to the screen again. For 10 minutes, your teammates and bosses got to see exactly what happened to you in that ‘lab’. They witnessed how Franks liked to start with the waterboarding, followed by the electrocutions, all while audibly commentating on your heart rate and brain function. As the tape continued, Franks moved on to slicing pieces of your skin slowly, which was when Bruce decided to leave, followed by Clint. Wanda was visibly shaking, her arms wrapped around her chest, as she stared at the screen, your shouts and cries echoed in the room. 

At the 16-minute mark, the only people left in the room were Fury, Steve, and you. Dr. Franks finished carving your skin, leaving more red than white on the screen as he once again verbally stated your biometric responses. Then the lab went silent, a steady heart monitor was beeping in time with your screen breaths, which you felt your real-time heart trying to match. Then Franks called to some agents who unstrapped you and dragged your body out of the room, leaving Dr. Franks alone as he leant against the desk and stared at the now empty chair. “Well, well, well... Eric really was on to something wasn’t he, Agent Vogel?” Then the tape ended.  
Your jaw dropped and blood rushed to your ears. Director Fury mumbled a curse under his breath and Steve turned to you both, “Agent Vogel? I thought your name was Y/l/n?” You swallowed hard, taking a moment before answering.  
“Vogel was my family name. I changed it to my mother’s maiden name when I turned 18.” You furrowed your eyebrows as Franks words kept replaying in your head. “And who’s this Eric? Another scientist?” Steve asked again, stepping towards you, causing you to look at him.  
“I guess you could say that,” You croaked, your throat suddenly very dry, “Eric was my dad’s name.”


	10. Dreams and Targets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After watching Franks’ video message, you come to terms with its possible meaning and try to process the information as it unleashes old dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Slight angst; some fluff

A week on from watching the video and Franks’ message was now plaguing your dreams. Every night you would see fleeting images of your dad shaking hands with him, or of the night of the fire, or somehow both. A childhood dream also returned- one where your dad turns into a huge fiery demon and sets the house on fire; as a child it terrified you and now it seems to be doing it again. Director Fury had ordered a focused hunt on Dr Franks, as well as a search on your father, but so far nothing came up. Fury suspected that there was no connection to your dad- that maybe he found your information online after SHIELDs data was dumped on the web- and in a way it made sense, but something didn’t feel right.  
Walking into headquarters and headed to the room you last saw Agent Rhodes go into, you hoped he might be able to check some things out for you. You knocked lightly on the door, the frosted glass not letting you see inside, until the door opened and a small woman with red hair greeted you. “Hi, is Agent Rhodes here? I need to speak to him.”  
“Oh I’m so sorry he’s not here,” the woman answered, “He’s off due to an... illness.”  
“I’m sorry to hear that, I don't suppose you know when he’ll be back?” The woman considered your question as she pushed her glasses further up her nose, “No, if I’m honest I don’t, he was pretty shaken up after what happened so probably not for a while.”  
You tilted your head at her, “What do you mean? What happened?”  
“He got a video which he thought might be a message for the Avengers, but it turned out to be some poor thing being tortured.” She looked off in the distance and sighed, luckily not seeing the panic that had flashed on your face, “I didn’t see it myself but he looked real pale afterwards, you know?”  
“Yeah, no one should have to witness that.” You replied, “Thank you anyway.” You smiled at her and walked away, torn between annoyance and guilt as you headed back to your room. 

That night, you dreamt of your mother. She was cutting some flowers to put in a vase when you ran into the kitchen to show her a cool leaf with holes in that you found in the garden. She beamed at you as she then told you about caterpillars and how they cocoon themselves until they grow into a butterfly. Then you blinked and you were sat in your father’s office, on his desk. He was writing down in a journal placing his pen down to look at you, smiling for once as he spoke out loud, seemingly to someone else. “How hold still.” He whispered, as he picked up a syringe with a dark red liquid and then injected your right arm. Then the door opened and your mother walked in. She stared at the syringe and then at your father. You blinked again and there were flames all around you, raging and fierce. Cowering under the table, you cried out for your mother as you heard loud shouting. The fire was thick and unnatural, searching everything before consuming it, like it was looking for something. The heat was unbearable and you screamed with all your might.  
A cold hand on your shoulder woke you with a start as you sat bolt upright, your chest heaving and your mind in a daze. The familiar buzzing was strong as you felt it flutter through your limbs, then you realised the lights were flickering. Hearing a muffled voice, you took a deep breath you slowly exhaled, trying to release the buzzing energy inside you. After a few seconds it worked and the lights stayed off, leaving you blinking in the darkness. Then the voice came again but louder, “Baby?” You turned and could see Wanda’s outline as she sat on the edge of the bed, her hand hovering by your side. “Hey.” You croaked and she sighed quietly. Reaching out, you took her hand and squeezed it, “I'm sorry if I woke you.”  
“Don’t be, I’m glad.” She replied as she shuffled forward and brought your knuckles to her lips, kissing them gently, “Wanna talk about it?”  
“Not really, s’just a dream.” You shrugged, “But, if you’re not opposed to staying, I’d really like that.” There was a pause and in the poor lighting you swore you could see her smile, “Of course.”  
You moved over as Wanda slipped under the sheets, meeting you in the middle. Then she rested her head on your arm and draped hers over your middle as you pulled her closer into your embrace. You shared a few slow, gentle kisses- lips barely pulling away from each other- before she let you drift off to sleep as she traced small shapes on your chest, then finally fell into her own slumber. 

You awoke with the sun and a lingering image of your mother’s final smile. As your eyes opened, your heart raced slightly as you saw Wanda still sleeping by your side, the dawning sun providing enough light for you to cherish the sight. She was lying on her back, her head tilted to one side as it leant on her arm, the other resting on her middle. Her red camisole hugged her chest as it rose and fell softly, she had pulled the sheets off herself at some point to reveal the black shorts underneath; she was a goddess in your eyes. Gazing at her, you couldn’t help but feel like you were intruding, despite it being your bed. You had seen more of her skin in these few moments than you ever had before and felt a blush creep up your neck. Slowly you sat up and checked the time- horrifically early- and decided to go outside for some practice. Stealthily leaving the bed, you tiptoed over to your drawers and slowly pulled out your workout gear. Once ready, you walked out of the bathroom and grabbed your phone from the bedside table, allowing you to steal another glance at the beauty asleep in your bed. A sigh escaped your lips as you imagined waking up to this every day; your heart swelling at the thought, stirring a deep and powerful emotion in you that you never thought you’d feel. Deciding to leave her a note, you scribbled a quick message onto a piece of paper and left it by her side, before you slipped out of the door and down to the grounds. 

You took a walk into the woods and kept going until you found your practice space. The scorched trees littered throughout the area were a testament to you sharping your skills. It hadn’t been easy, but since the video message, you had doubled your daily training and it was paying off... slowly. Standing in front of a tree, you held your arm out focused on the muscles in your arm and hands. Sure enough, the buzzing feeling flew through your arm and a large electric bolt shot out of your hand and towards your target, charring the bark as it made contact. You did this a few times from both hands before moving towards your other apparatus. Placing a target sheet on the dirt mound, courtesy of Clint, you stared at the angry ‘robber’s’ face before walking back to a white marker on the ground and turning to face it. Your ‘target’ was looking rather unhappy as he glared at you, clutching his bag of swag. They were silly little cartoons, but they served their purpose. Taking a breath, you allowed the buzzing to grow in your chest before you flung your arm out at the ‘robber’ and a spark flew from your arm and into the target, burning a hole in the paper where his face was. Then the little monitor on top of the mound whizzed into life as it calculated whether or not you had just killed a man. It flickered to red and you frowned- not the best start to the morning. Tony had insisted on an accurate calculator- one telling exactly how much voltage you were expelling- but gave in when you and Maria begged him for a basic traffic light system. You tried again, using the same arm, then smiled as the monitor flicked to amber. After succeeding a third time, you replaced the ‘robber’ sheet with a bigger target and pursed your lips as you scanned the picture: a man hiding behind a woman. The aim here was to produce a low enough shock to hopefully cause the target to move back or let go of his human shield before you can then shock him harder. Standing on the white marker, you flexed your fingers- letting the energy grow- before then holding your arm out and aiming it at the target. A bolt flew out of your hand and into the paper, scorching the man’s face. The monitor immediately flicked to red and you groaned. You spent a good hour trying to perfect this one, and only managed to either get it to amber or completely miss the target. 

As you felt your energy waning slightly. You took a break and grabbed your water bottle. “How’s it going?” Maria’s voice called from behind you. You turned and watched her enter the clearing and nod her head towards your target. “It’s er... it’s going.” You answered, making Maria smile as she folded her arms. “Can I help you, Maria?” You noticed a slight grimace in her face before she spoke.   
“We’re having a briefing in Room B in 30 minutes, I was told I’d find you here.” Glancing at the floor, you didn’t ask her who told her, already knowing the answer and definitely not wanting to know how that conversation came about.  
You followed Maria to the briefing room where the whole team was waiting, including Wanda. She smiled sheepishly at you before looking away, giving you a chance to admire the hoodie and joggers she was wearing, both items looking very familiar. Sitting down between her and Sam as he gave you a pat on the back, you looked around the table, smiling at Steve and Nat, before your eyes fell to Director Fury as he stood from his seat and walked over to the screen. “Morning team. I won’t beat around the bush here- we have a possible location on Franks.”  
“What? Where?” You blurted out. Fury glanced at you and the look in his eyes made you feel incredibly nervous.   
He exhaled sharply, “Your hometown, y/n.”


	11. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the team head back to your hometown and find a lot more than just a crazy scientist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Swearing; violence; slight angst?

“I’m sorry what?” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing.  
“SHIELD systems recorded an attempted breach this morning at 05:43. It was tracked and traced back to your hometown... satellites narrowed it further to your old house.” Fury was always so matter of fact when he spoke, so unfazed, but the look in his eye this morning was telling you another story. “You think it’s a trap?” You asked.  
“Absolutely.” He nodded.  
“So what’s the play?” Steve asked, “Surround the house and storm it?”  
“No,” You answered, as everyone looked at you, “I go in, talk to Franks then if it gets hairy you guys can drop in and kick some ass with me.”  
“Y/n we’re not staying beh-”  
“I know, Wanda.” You turned to her and smiled, “I don’t want you to. I want the team to hang back a street away, maybe survey the area in case he brings his friends with him.”  
“What makes you think he wants to talk in the first place?” Tony asked from his leant back position in the chair. You turned to him and smiled as you folded his arms, “He’s put in this much effort to delve into my past... he wants to tell me something and I wanna know why.”  
“So,” Sam began, standing up and placing his hand on your shoulder, “When do we leave?”

It was surreal, like walking through a memory you could barely recall. As the full moon lit up the street, the houses were eerily dark and empty, the area void of all life. With each step down the road, wispy visions would appear on pavements and street corners, old memories of the neighbour’s dog; getting ice cream from the van; playing on the swings as your mother pushed you. Fragmented pieces of your past that were surfacing now... after years of being buried. “Still clear. We got your six, sparky.” Sam’s voice in your ear assured you, bringing a slight grin to your face that you quickly discarded as you came closer to the end of the cul-de-sac. A few more steps brought more memories as the houses of your old neighbours came into view. Looking to your left, you spotted the brown brick house with the black door, its garden shrubs now unkempt, and you stared solemnly as you recalled the previous inhabitant, the kind eyes and sympathetic smile as she wrapped five-year old you in a thick wool blanket and sheltered you in her arms until Child Services arrived. “Mrs Elton.” You whispered to yourself, a tear daring to build in your eye.  
A cold wind blew behind you, begging you to turn around, which you reluctantly did. Looking over your shoulder first, you felt your mouth open as you came face to face with the broken building that was once your home. The white slatted fence was still intact, the garden overgrown with dead patches surrounding where the brick walls used to stand. Roof tiles were scattered over the top of brick and concrete rubble, all black and scorched as the full moon above cast sombre shadows over it all. Your heart rate quickened as you clenched your fist, desperately holding back to images of that night. Suddenly a dark figure appeared amongst the rubble as it stepped into view, the moonlight dancing on his skin, the scar on his face identifying him before he spoke. “Welcome home y/n.” Franks sneered.  
He held his arms out either side of him, “I sadly never got to see this house in its glory days, but I imagine it was quite something.” He smirked this time as he stared at you. “I don’t remember.” You flatly responded, whispers of your team in your ears as they confirmed no sign of anyone else in the area. “That is a shame.” He sighed, dropping his arms, “Your father would be so disappointed to know that.”  
“Then you clearly don’t know my father because he didn’t give a shit about what I thought.”  
“Oh on the contrary,” Franks retorted, stepping closer, “I knew your father very well.” He was grinning widely, like a crocodile, as the dim lighting made him appear more menacing. “Do you want to know how I knew him?”  
“No.” You replied bluntly, “Because I don’t believe you.”  
Franks laughed, “Well you should. Eric and I worked very long and hard together, our careers spanning as far back as the Winter Soldier program.” He paused, watching for your reaction. “We both helped Dr. Zola with his little pet project, but we wanted more. So your father and I got to work on alternatives to the Winter Soldier serum, but one that would unlock secrets in the human genome and bring forth powers of unknown potential.”  
“You’re lying,” You argued, “My father studied viruses a-and diseases; he was trying to get rid of illness- my illness!” Though your voice had gotten louder, Franks never flinched; instead a smirk appeared on his face. “Your illness? Tell me, Agent Vogel, what illness was that?” Thinking hard, you tried to remember what you had, why your father was constantly giving you injections. Franks noticed this, “Can you recall any symptoms? Hospital appointments?” He paused again watching the defeated look on your face grow. “I didn’t think so y/n, because there was no illness. You were his test subject.”  
“No, I-”  
“Your father had been experimenting on himself for a long time- we both did- but got very little in return-”  
“It’s bullshit-”  
“Then your father had a theory, one that involved a small child and a series of monthly injections and tests-”  
“Shut up!” You screamed, the lampposts around you flickered weakly having long been turned off. Franks stared at you wide-eyed before he began to smile, “Incredible... your father’s theory was right. Such a shame he wasn’t here to witness this... I blame your mother for that.”  
Your blood froze. “What?”  
“Your father was close to breaking through with you, but he was aware that your mother was growing suspicious. Then one day she uncovered his plans and threatened to take you away.” Franks’ voice was echoing in your head, and the world around you seemed to spin. “It turned out-” Franks continued, “-That this was enough to release the powers in your father had he had long assumed weren’t there.” You flicked your head up to Franks, eyebrows furrowed as you squinted at him. He took a breath and continued, “There was no cooker explosion, no gas leak that night, dear child. I watched from a computer screen how the stress of losing his prized experiment was too much for your father and he was finally able to unlock his powers... but unfortunately had no control of them.” You were stunned, not wanting to believe a single word he said, and yet they made sense the longer he spoke. “I spent far too long searching for you, y/n. But once that silly little agent got involved, was all too easy-”  
“Agent?” You interrupted, “What the hell are you on about now?”  
“Oh my, did I forget to mention?” Franks gasped then whistled. A man in black combat gear dragged a figure out of the house on your left and pulled him into the moonlight. The figure was bloody and slumped on the floor, but his face was recognisable. “Agent Rhodes?” You shouted staring at his pained expression as mumbles of shocked reactions from your team echoed in your ears. “How do you think I found you, Agent Vogel?” Franks laughed, “I knew you were a SHIELD agent when your precious Captain dumped agency files onto the internet, but I still couldn’t get to you. Once your friend here got onto our radar by snooping a little too carelessly, it was easy to get him to agree to help us, to ensure you would come alone to our warehouse.”  
“Y/n... I-I'm sorry.” Rhodes mumbled as Franks’ goon tugged him off the ground harshly, “They threatened my family, he said just needed to talk to you, I didn’t know he was-”  
“Thank you, Agent Rhodes.” Franks cut in as Rhodes was pulled onto his knees in front of him. Without hesitation, Franks’ henchman then pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot Agent Rhodes in the head. You yelled his name as Rhodes’ body tipped back and slumped to the rubble floor. Franks stepped over his body and close to you, his goon right by his side, “It’s all coming together nicely. Now I know your powers have activated, I can use the genetic map inside you to make more.”  
“I don’t think so.” A voice behind you called. Looking over your shoulder, you saw Wanda, a red glow surrounding her as she floated to the ground. “Ah, Miss Maximoff, it’s been a long time since I last saw you.” Franks smiled, his fingers fidgeting against his side. Then you heard another sound as Falcon and Iron Man both flew down to stand at your sides. “The games are over Franks; you’re coming with us.” Sam shouted.  
“I see,” Franks murmured, looking at his henchman, who was stood resolute by his side, gun aimed down. “Well it’s a good thing I have my insurance then. NOW!” Suddenly the area erupted in gunfire as HYDRA agents appeared in windows and from behind houses, all shooting at you. Steve and Nat voiced their upcoming arrival over the comms as Sam flew up to take out some agents in the house opposite. Taking cover with Wanda as she shielded you both in red mist, you pulled your gun out of your belt and frantically looked around. “Fuck!” You shouted as you watched Franks being pulled into a nearby house by his bodyguard. “I’m going for Franks.” You shouted as you tapped Wanda’s shoulder and ran after your target, determined not to lose him.

Entering a backdoor into a kitchen, you were immediately met by two HYDRA agents. You slammed a wall cupboard door open and it collided with one of the agents’ face just as the other agent grabbed your shoulder. He dragged you back and threw you onto the tiled floor, your side hitting the wall at the end of the room. Just as he stepped closer, you swung your leg out and kicked him hard, causing him to drop down; giving you enough chance to pull yourself up and grip his face. Focusing on the buzzing feeling, it flew into your arm and into the HYDRA agent- a low shock caused his body to jolt then fall to the floor. Then you heard a gun click followed by a grunt as the agent you first attacked was thrown past you and out of the kitchen door. You flicked your head back to the source and saw Wanda, her red eyes simmering back to green. “You taking my targets now?” You asked as she helped pull you off the floor.  
“Only when you’re too slow.” She responded, winking at you.  
“Hey lovebirds,” Sam shouted over the comms, “Franks’ hasn’t left the house, we think he’s still in there.”  
“Roger that.” You replied, picking up your gun. You stepped through the door to the living area and Wanda took the door to the dining room. The house wasn’t huge, but there were plenty of hiding spaces and it made your skin crawl. Peering around the abandoned furniture, looking for any disturbed cobwebs, you saw nothing and met Wanda by the front door as she nodded at you. “Clear.” She whispered, before you both turned to look at the stairway, the outside sounds of gunfire, fighting and a distant roar from The Hulk filling the silence.  
Testing the first step, you then slowly made your way up to the top, taking care to avoid any creaking floorboards, as Wanda followed behind. At the top was a long hallway which stretched either side of you. Looking over your shoulder at Wanda, she smiled and pointed to the left side, then tapped your shoulder and pointed to the right. Nodding, you peered around the corner again and began slowly making your way down. At the first room on your right, the door slightly ajar, you peered in then pulled back before leaning with your gun. It was a family bathroom, bath, sink and toilet- no agents. You checked the room opposite- clear- then headed to the last door. It was closed. Taking in a deep shaking breath, you peaked over your shoulder- seeing Wanda slowly enter another room- as you then carefully turned the door handle. Then you kicked it open and aimed your gun up at all four corners of the room- not immediately seeing anything. There was a wardrobe along the left-hand wall, large enough to fit a person, and you stepped closer. You focused on the buzzing feeling again and placed your hand on the side of it, sending a bolt of electricity through it. When nothing jumped out, you opened the door and found nothing inside. Suddenly you heard a muffled cry followed by a lock clicking in your comms. “Wanda?” No answer. You stepped out of the bedroom and was immediately hurled into the wall at the end of the hallway by a large HYDRA agent. His fist collided with your cheekbone and you yelled in pain as your body hit the wall. He picked up your gun then grabbed you by the front of your jacket. He was about to throw you to the floor when you sharply headbutted him, both of you hissing from the pain. He staggered backwards and you felt for the buzzing feeling, holding your arm out and watching a bolt of electricity shoot into his chest. His body convulsed as it was pushed through the air a few feet and landed by the stairs; your gun flying out of his hands and down the stairway to the ground floor. Panting heavily, you walked over to find his heart no longer beating. Yours, however, was racing more than ever. “Guys I have a problem.” You hissed quietly, hoping the team could hear you.   
“Hang tight, we’re coming.” Steve’s voice replied as you stepped over the dead HYDRA agent and towards the last door you saw Wanda enter. It was open and seemed to lead and a large bedroom. Peering inside, there was nothing but a dusty bedframe and some cardboard boxes. Then you heard a thumping noise in the room next door. Quickly stepping out, you held your hands up, like Tony taught you, and stepped closer to the other room.

The door was open a few inches and you swore you could hear shallow breathing inside. Just as you pushed it open, you felt large hands shove you through the door and you landed with a thud on the floor. Groaning, you tried to pull yourself up but was then pulled up by the collar of your jacket and thrown into a chest of drawers. This was when you heard another muffled cry and you finally saw Wanda. She was on her knees, a cloth around her mouth. Then you noticed the metal collar around her neck and a small cut just above her eye. Your attention was soon pulled away by the huge HYDRA agent who had now placed his hand around your throat and squeezed. Grabbing onto his wrist, you tried to focus on the buzzing feeling but kept getting distracted by the punches he was landing against your ribcage. Anger was building up in your chest, the blood rushing to your head. You kicked the agent as hard as you could in the groin and it stalled him long enough for you to force the buzzing feeling into your arms and straight into the agent. It was strong enough to propel him away from you and through the glass window opposite. You heard a shout and looked into the far corner, seeing Franks as he pulled Wanda up in front of him, a knife aimed just above the metal collar on her neck.  
“What the fuck is that?” You demanded, your breathing ragged and heavy.  
“You think I didn’t know about you and the little witch? Rhodes told me all about your close relationship, I know what to expect from a monster I designed, so I brought a familiar toy along.” He hissed, slowly stepping out of the corner.  
“Let go of her. Now.” You snarled, palms raised and aimed at him.  
“Or what- you'll use your powers on me? I don’t think so.” He took a breath, “No you will let me leave and then I’ll let your little girlfriend go.”  
“You’re not going anywhere! Not this time!” You shouted.  
“If you willing to risk killing your precious girlfriend then go right ahead! Otherwise, I’m getting out of there alive and unharmed!” He was edging along the wall, with the plan to go past the window and towards the bedroom door to freedom. Lowering your hands, you looked at Wanda, your heart breaking at the tears you could see in her eyes. She stared at you with wide eyes and nodded at you, you knew she was telling you to do it. Raising your palms up again, Franks stopped in front of the window, his eyebrows furrowed. “What are you doing? Are you mad?” He spluttered, holding tight to Wanda as the knife shook in his hand. You took a deep breath in, feeling the energy building once more.  
“Stop it.” Franks snapped, “You’ll kill her. You want that on your conscience?”  
You looked in Wanda’s eyes. “I love you.” You whispered before releasing your breath as a bolt of electricity flew out of your hands and into Wanda. She yelped as the shock flowed through her and into Franks. He shouted and instinctively pushed her away. Without thinking, you launched yourself towards him and grabbed him, hurling you both out of the window as you released all of your energy. You screamed as it ripped through your skin and into Franks, before you hit the ground with a harsh thump and the world around you went black.


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of your battle with Dr. Franks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to each and every single one of you who has read, commented on and sent kudos for this series. It's been a joy to write and an bigger joy to see others enjoying too! Let me know what your favourite part was!
> 
> Warnings: Slight angst; mentions of parental abuse/death; fluff at the end (Cause I’m nice like that)

There was a flash of light. Two flashes. Then blazing sunlight filled your eyes, followed by a muffled voice, “Y/n hang in there. You’re gonna be okay baby, just hold on.” Another flash. Then you were sat at your father’s desk as he injected you with a dark red liquid. The door opens and your mother walks in. She stares at the needle then to your father, “How could you?” She hisses, pulling you off the desk and out of the room. “I trusted you, you promised you would leave y/n out of your work-”  
“They’re my child and I can do whatever the hell I want!” Your dad screams. Your mother holds you close as she takes you downstairs.  
“Not anymore! I’m leaving you, Eric! I won’t let you drag my child into your hellish work!” Your mother shouts back. Then a loud yell- ugly and guttural. Suddenly there’s fire everywhere and your mother screams. She lets go of you and you run to the kitchen table, hiding underneath. “Y/N! Y/N!” Your father is yelling for you, the fires are crawling into kitchen like a snake, searching the room. A hand grabs you and pulls you out, as your mother holds you close and carries you to the front door. Then your father screams again and more fire appears around you. There’s a loud cracking sound followed by a snapping. Your mother screams and you fall to the floor underneath a part of the ceiling. “Go, y/n!” Your mother pleads as she pushes up part of the ceiling. You hear your father coming through the kitchen, calling your name between screams. “No mommy, come with me!” You shout, trying to pull your mother with you.  
“Y/n,” Your mother begs as time slows down, the flames crackle slowly rather than rage, your breathing at half its pace, “I love you. Now run!” She uses her free hand to push you to the front door and you follow her instructions, just as you hear your father screaming once more, followed by your mother roaring like a lioness defending her cub. Then, just as your bare feet manage to carry you to the garden gate, a huge noise erupts behind you and you fall to the ground. 

Then silence. Dark, quiet, cold silence. Then a beep, followed by more. It’s consistent, monotonous: a heart monitor. You take a breath, feeling every cell in your lungs complain and you hiss from the agony. Sensing other people in the room, you open your eyes. It’s slow, but you manage to open them and can see the room you are in. It’s white, clinical and the lights are dimmed. “Hey, welcome back.” You hear Maria’s voice at your side. You turn just as she leans into view, a wide smile on her face. “Deputy director.” You croak, making her laugh.  
“I, er, dimmed the lights this time, that okay?”  
“It’s perfect, thank you.” You replied, smiling at her.  
“How do you feel?” She asked, leaning on your bed with her head in her hand.  
“Like shit.” You hissed, your pain receptors suddenly kicking in all over your body, “Is Wanda okay?”  
“She’s doing just fine.” Maria grinned, “You remember what happened?”  
“I remember shocking Wanda and then dragging Franks’ ass out of the window.” You recalled, licking your lips to hydrate them, “Is he dead?”  
“Franks?” Maria scoffed, “I hear you barbecued the man to dust.”  
“Good. Am I dead?”  
Maria tutted, before taking your hand squeezing it gently. “I’m sorry to report that you’re still alive. You’ve broken a few bones but... you’ll live.” You chuckled at her answer as the door opened. Turning to look, you smiled when you were greeted by a beautiful woman with incredible mossy green eyes. “Y/n!” Wanda breathed, smiling from ear to ear as she rushed to your side.  
“Hey Wanda.” You said, wanting to pull her into your arms, but the deep ache in your limbs restrained you.  
“I’ll let the others know you’re awake.” Maria smiled, before leaving the room.   
Wanda held your hand tightly and stroked your face, “How are you feeling?”  
“Like I threw myself out of a second storey window,” You laughed, before groaning at the pain in your chest, “How are you? Did I hurt you?”  
“I’m fine, you gave me quite the shock and you actually broke the collar Franks put on me, so thank you.” She replied, her eyes gazing at yours. There was a moment of silence as you looked at each other, before you saw Wanda’s face scrunch up slightly, “Y/n, I wanted to ask you something.”  
“Sure, what is it?”  
“In the house, just before you shocked me and took out Franks. You said something and I wanted to make sure I heard you right. Do you know what I’m talking about?” You considered her question, recalling the moments leading up to the event, then an embarrassed grin erupted on your face as you realised. “Erm, yes I remember.”  
Wanda glanced at you nervously, her free hand fidgeting, “Well... did you mean it?”  
You looked her and took in a shaky breath, “Yes. Ever since I met you, I could feel something stirring inside me, like I knew you would be important to me even before I knew anything about you. And I was right- you've become one of the most important people in my life and I can’t bear the thought of ever losing you or not having you by my side.” You paused before taking another breath, “I love you, Wanda.” She squeezed your hand again, tighter this time, before leaning forward to place a kiss on your mouth. Her lips were firm against yours, like she half-expected to never kiss you again. You could faintly hear your heart monitor beeping faster in the background, and you pulled your energy into placing your hand on her cheek and kissing her firmly back. When she pulled away, her lips were hovering near yours, “I love you too, y/n.”


End file.
